


The Red Lotus Won

by Ahhoverloaded



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Action/Adventure, Bloodbending (Avatar), Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, F/M, Spiritbending & Spiritbenders (Avatar), lavabending
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-18 14:33:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 44,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28868592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ahhoverloaded/pseuds/Ahhoverloaded
Summary: Korra doesn't get saved by members of the White lotus and begins training with Zaheer and the Red Lotus.
Relationships: Korra/Asami Sato, P'li/Zaheer (Avatar), There's gonna be others I promise I just don't know them yet
Comments: 12
Kudos: 24





	1. The Thorns Failed to Protect the Rose

**Author's Note:**

> The more I write the more precise the tags and summary will be  
> Also this is my procrastination fanfic so hopefully I don't write too much here but if I do then, well, you know I've failed

“Korra!” 

Tonraq yelled, hurling water and ice at his child’s captors with no avail. Even with the help of Tenzin, the second generation of Beifongs, Kya, Katara, and Firelord Zuko- even with the entirety of the White Lotus, the Red Lotus shred through their defenses. The White Lotus was ordered to not hurt Korra, who was slung over Zaheer’s shoulder like a sack of flour, and that weakened their attacks. The Red Lotus members were not afraid of harming Korra, as Zaheer bounded across the battlefield to the escape vehicle. The courtyard of the White Lotus compound was soon filled with bodies from both sides as fire met ice, as air met water, and as rock met metal. Nonbenders from the Red Lotus crossed No Man's land and took down many of the White Lotus' lesser members. Tenzin and Lin fought back to back, tearing through the Red Lotus goons. Firelord Zuko burned the watery arms off Ming Hua, who decided to take that as a sign to evacuate, forming an icy shield to cover her back as she sledded down the mountain, catching up to the escape vehicle. Tenzin and the Beifongs flew through the air, chasing Ming Hua. As they advanced, P'li the combustion bender opened the backdoor of the escape vehicle and aimed at Suyin. Tenzin just managed to blast the fireball away from the metalbender, but he and Suyin fell into the snowy bank next to the road. Lin managed to wrap one of her cables around the vehicle when an ice sickle cut it clean through. She stumbled, rolled, and blacked out upon hitting a rock on the side of the mountain. A blizzard engulfed the vehicle, making pursuit impossible. The Red Lotus members that hadn't already been subdued flew the battlefield; it was useless to follow any of them, they wouldn't lead the White Lotus to their hideout. The White Lotus tended to their wounded and counted their dead. The Red Lotus' core group arrived at their secret bunker hidden deep in the mountainside.

Korra awoke in strange surroundings. "Dada?" She whipped her head around seeing strange people all around her. She began to hiccup, on the verge of crying, when a familiar face filled her vision. 

“Uncle?” she asked. 

“Shh,” Unalaq stroked her head while the others conversed in the background. “It’s okay.” 

“Where’s mommy and dada?” Her limp trembled and Unalaq manivuered her so he could meet her terrified blue eyes. 

“I’m sorry, Korra, but your village was raided. And the raiders, well the raiders won.” He looked down at little Korra, who now had tears streaming down her face. She began to wail. Unalaq tightened the fur blanket around little Korra and hugged her until she fell asleep. 

“Where is it safe to keep her for her training?” Ghazan asked. 

“It cannot be in the North; once she opens the portals she will not be safe there until she is older and unrecognizable,” Unalaq added, folding his fingers under his chin Sherlock style. 

“What about in the Earth Kingdom?” Ghazan offered. Zaheer and Pli stared daggers at him. He held up his hands in mock surrender and then crossed them, leaning against the cave wall. 

“Zaheer?”

All eyes turned towards him. He slowly opened his eyes and placed his elbows on his knees, pensive. 

“The outskirts of the Earth Kingdoms will prove to be a useful base of operations. However, for now, we must stay near water to continue Korra's waterbending training. We need to find an inlet that gives us protection. Once she masters waterbending, we can move closer to the heart of the Earth Kingdom and Republic City; no one would be looking for an earthbender in their own territory. We should move once more when she needs to learn fire; go to the fire nation.” 

“I don't believe this is the best course of action,” Ming-Hua said. "Even if she does not get reconigized, we would be."

“For once, I agree with her,” Ghazan added. “Unalaq, you’re awfully quiet.”

Unalaq stood up and began to pace, hands clasped behind his back. “The Southern Water Tribe will not rest until they find Korra, unless they have a reason to not hope for her survival. They know we will not kill her.”

Zaheer stared at the flames of the fire in front of him. “They know we won’t kill her...” He paused. “We have to make it look like _they_ kill her...” 

“What are you planning?” Ghazan unfolded his arms. 

“We arrange a meeting," he stressed the last word, still coming up with the plan as the words exited his lips. "We arrange a meeting, then make it escalate to the point of violence. Of course, during this, Korra, unfortunately, gets in the crossfire of her own father and Ming-Hua. She goes down, we retreat. Some of their goons come near enough to see her body, and watch it take a tumble into the river below. Her father would try to go after her... We'd have to make sure he had a piece of her clothing in his grasp before P'li breaks the ice from afar. He falls in and...Unalaq, could you call some spirits to eat part of your brother? Make it seem like Korra was swallowed along with him.” 

"I could do that. "When and how will this meeting be called?" Unalaq kept his chin balanced on his fingers, his eyes calculating. 

“You go crying to your brother about getting captured, forced to fight. But you take your chance when we weren't looking, grabbed Korra, and ran back towards the tribe. You can't see us thanks to the blizzard and we appear behind you, striking you down immediately,” Zaheer nearly grinned at Unalaq’s startled face. “Don’t worry, Ming-Hua won’t make that permanent.” 

Ming-Hua smiled, an uncomfortable distortion of her face. 

Zaheer continued, “by making you seem like the hero once more, not only will any alleged ties to us be cut, you will have a firmer foothold over the southern watertribe.” 

Unalaq mulled over this proposition. “It is the Solstice; she can open the portal. But I would have to stay with the Tribe...How sure are you that this will work?”

“Would you lose hope if this scenario happened to you?" Zaheer asked the group.

They all agreed, mumbling or nodding their heads.

“Alright. Let’s make this look good.” 

Pli laid Korra in a tiny fur sleeping bag and stood over her for a moment. Zaheer came over and entwined his fingers with hers. 

“We are finally on our path to victory,” she said. 

“There's still a long way to go," he stated. "Now, it’s time to finally end the Everstorm.” 

P’Li picked up the tiny sleeping bag and slung it over her shoulder. The pair headed out with Ming_Hua, who acted as a guide through the snowy wasteland while Ghazan led the last of the Red Lotus henchmen out of the South. 

They made it through the Everstorm easily with Ming-Hua’s bending as a great bubble around them. When they reached the trees that marked the boundary of the portal, Ming-Hua stayed there to stand guard. Zaheer and P’Li marched into the depths of the forest. They had to fight off some dark spirits, and Zaheer was very grateful of Ming-Hua and her watery arms because they could takedown any spirit immediately. He stopped at a junction in the woods. 

“Right this way,” he said, sweeping his arm towards the innermost chamber of the forest. At this point, P’Li took the sleeping bag off her shoulder and opened it up so Korra could see what was happening. 

“She just needs to touch it,” Zaheer said, remembering what Unalaq had claimed. 

P’Li unzipped the sleeping bag so Korra could remove her arms from the warm covers. The tiny Avatar blinked, unable to open her eyes all the way. 

“Korra,” Zaheer said. She looked at him and began to squirm in the sleeping bag

“Who are you? Where’s my dada?” She still looked scared, even as Zaheer bent down, eye to eye with her. He bowed his head in respect. “Your father died in the raid your uncle told you about. I’m so sorry. But, my friends and I will take care of you.” 

Korra’s eyes were still filled with distrust. 

“Will you do something for me?” Zaheer asked. She nodded hesitantly, sucking her thumb. “Look here,” he said, standing up and walking towards the center of a crystalized room. P'li followed with Korra nestled in the sleeping bag on her chest. The blue glow of the entrapped and encased portal cast shadows on all their faces. Zaheer knelt down once more and touched the tips of his fingers to the ice, a little dust moving when he did so. Korra stared at him for a moment, then began to reach towards the ground, so P'li knelt down and unshouldered the sleeping bag. The moment the skin of Korra's fingers touched the ice, it exploded magnificently. 

The four of them were tossed back and away from each other; the sleeping bag was ripped from P'li's grip. Zaheer recovered first and immediately called out for Korra, digging and crawling through the ice and snow. Once he found her, he gathered her up in his arms, securing the sleeping bag around her, and ran back to P’Li. He offered his free hand to her and they both found Ming-Hua, who P'li helped up. Once they all checked with each other, they all displayed various expressions of surprise; even Miss Ice Queen's stoic expression was brought out of the stone age and morphed into surprise as the light from the portal dissipated the storm and pierced the sky in a brilliant shade of blue. Zaheer touched the beam and then entered it. The other three followed. 

Although Zaheer had meditated into the Spirit world before, it was even more beautiful in person. P’Li raised her eyebrows and Ming-Hua shrugged her shoulders (though her eyes wandered the vast land in front of her). 

The northern portal swirled ominously in the distance. Zaheer looked at the women with him. 

“Let’s hurry, it is almost the end of the solstice. This is the only time she can open it without being in the Avatar state.” 

P’Li, who had Korra, nodded and sprinted to the other portal. It was freeing, being able to run freely and as fast as she wanted without the fear of being chased. She had Korra in her arms and slowed down about twenty feet from the portal. It glowed and pulsed as the dome swirled in a million different colors. 

“What’s that?” Korra asked, sucking on her thumb still. 

“That,” P’Li said, with a smile playing on her lips. “Is the future.” 

She took Korra’s hand in her own and touched the orb. It exploded, but this time P’Li was ready and braced for it. The portal pierced the sky, and P’Li looked back at Zaheer and Ming-Hua, nodding. 

“We’ve begun the change.” 

"Alright, showtime," Ghazan pounded his fist on his palm. He whistled and the act began.

Tonraq squinted through the blizzard and saw a long person stumbling through the winds. “Over here!” 

Immediately, the members of the White Lotus had their hands and other weapons up, ready to strike this newcomer, until his face became visible in the light of torches. Tonraq tilted his head in slight confusion, then alarm rose as he saw how badly beaten up his brother was. He rushed forward, plowing his way through the three foot thick snow. He was almost there; he was close nough to see Korra’s hair flying in the wind. He doubled his pace yet that still wasn’t fast enough: Unalaq suddenly face planted, nearly crushing Korra beneath him. Tonraq ducked barely in time for an ice sickle grapple at the open air where his head had been a second ago. He dropped and rolled, throwing ice shards at the looming figure of Ming-Hua emerging from the snowstorm. He threw more shards as she advanced. Not far enough away, an explosion broke through the surface of the raging river. Ming Hua gathered the water into Kraken arms. With one, she grabbed Unalaq and dragged him backwards. She nearly got Korra but Tonraq grabbed his daughter first and broke the watery tentacle. He began to run backwards. A bad idea, as Ghazan chucked some rocks underneath the snow and tripped Tonraq, who nearly broke his back on the sharp rock. He still held his daughter tight. He looked back and saw a scuffle breaking out between the Red Lotus and White Lotus. There was no where to run except along the River. Above the blizzard winds, shouting could be heard.

"Does he still have her?"

"Yes!"

"Get her back, no matter the cost!"

A fireball ripped through the air and exploded three feet in front of Tonraq. He was blown back, straight into the original crater P'li had created. He fell into the raging waters, desperately trying to keep Korra above the water. He punched his way out of the river, gasping for air, soaking wet, eyes blurry. The cold already affected his muscles; as P'li cast another fireball. Tonraq created a tiny bubble around his and his daughter's head and submerged, too slowly, as his leg was caught and burned by the explosion. He tried to kick back up to the surface, began punching the ice. Bending assisted, he broke through straight to the clutches of the watery demon that was Ming Hua, standing over the opening. Tonraq clutched his daughter tight and submerged once again. He held the bending and his breath as long as he could. He began attempts at breaking through the ice after swimming quite a ways away with no avail. Every time he tried, the water froze once more, thicker. He began to dive and then rocket upwards which only led to a concussed head. The bubble was running out of air when once more an explosion rocked the surface. Tempting as it was, he summoned strength to make the air bubble last just a little longer as he swam away from the broken surface. The deep, dark waters where he fled hid the dark spirit until it was two feet from his face.

"No!"

The spirit turned around and bared its teeth. Korra screamed as half her left leg was cut in half by a jagged ice sickle. The rest of her was snatched by an invisible arm, hauled to the surface. Tonraq turned and followed his daughter, reached out to grab her, one hand outstretched, one holding her foot. He couldn't turn to fend off the spirit. The last thing he ever saw was his daughter's arms outstretched to him and his own, empty hand clouded by blood soiled water.

Ming Hua froze the bloody stump of Korra's foot and nodded at Unalaq, tossing him all the way to the walls of the White Lotus compound. "I couldn't save them," he breathed out. "I couldn't save them." 

Days went by before half the body of Tonraq and a child's foot washed up on shore. As Zaheer had predicted, Unalaq was herald as a hero for getting close enough to get Korra, though much to his chagrin his brother, what was left of him, was buried under the title of hero. 


	2. Ice Ice baby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra is tested on her waterbending skills; Zaheer reveals part of his mysterious past.

Six years passed. A dark haired girl with a leg made of ice lashed out with a water whip, hitting Ming-Hua in the chest sending her reeling and gave her no reprieve, buffeting her with a 15 foot wave crowned with ice that slashed through the three arms coming at her on the right, made a shield with the ice from her foot to protected her left side, and finally pulled the wave back towards her, causing the already off balance Ming-Hua into a backflop. 

Triumphant, Korra looked over her shoulder to see Ghazan and Pli looking mildly impressed (Ghazan was smirking at the drenched Ming-Hua emerging from the water) and the stony faces of Zaheer and Unalaq. She waded to shore. 

“So?” 

Unalaq shifted his gaze from Korra to Ming-Hua. 

“Oh come on!” Korra complained. She turned to Zaheer, who stood solid like a stone. As the only non-bender there, he would be the tiebreaker if there was need. 

“Your form was...not traditional,” Unalaq slowly began. 

“But it was effective!” 

“Unalaq,” Ming-Hua said in her raspy voice. “I have trained her to not be traditional. I had to adapt without arms, she has to adapt with a missing leg. She took me down-- me! You know how good I am. And she’s eight. I believe that she is ready to progress to earthbending.” 

“Not yet.” 

All eyes turned to Zaheer. He stepped forward. “Though there are many more tricks to lean with waterbending, and those you can only learn with time, there is only one more I would say you require to learn before you can move onto earthbending.” 

Korra was nearly jumping with excitement. She was so ready for an actual challenge. “What is it?” 

Zaheer caught Unalaq’s eye. “Bloodbending.” 

Unalaq pulled Zaheer to the side. 

“You know that’s too dangerous. She’s eight!” 

“You’re just afraid that one day she’ll use it on you.” 

“Aren’t you? She’s reckless-- hungry for a fight.” 

“That’s why we need to not keep anything from her so that when the time comes there will be nothing for her to turn against. Nothing new for someone else to teach her.” 

Unalaq hated Zaheer’s calm grey eyes and how correct his judgment was...for this situation. With a slight head bow, he conceded and Zaheer stepped back towards the group. 

“We will separate, send the Red Lotus out to find an individual who has been heard around Republic City...Amon. If he does not come when you ask nicely...then you know what to do.” 

He dismissed the other four adults and sat on the rocky shore. Korra joined him. 

“You really think I’m ready for this?” She looked up to see his face, which softened. 

“Do you think you’re ready?” 

“Yes!” she pumped her fist into the air. 

Zaheer faintly smiled. “Then you are ready for this next step. But remember, Korra, you can not forget even the most basic move. It doesn’t matter how powerful you are, there will always be a challenge.” 

He pushed himself off the ground and raised his fists. Korra stood up. 

“Now. Fight without any bending.” 

She looked down. One leg was made from the knee down, of ice. If she had no bending, she would be left with one good leg.

"I--" 

"Don't say you can't, Korra. There may be a time when you have no bending, have no substitute for a limb. You have to adapt to your surroundings." 

Korra nodded and let the ice melt away. She stood up shakily, not used to standing unbalanced. 

He attacked. Korra jumped out of the way and went careening into the ground. She recovered quickly, though, flipping back onto one leg. She was much smaller than Zaheer and knew that without bending she could not beat him hand to hand. She threw sand into his face, which made him flinch but not stop. He quickly got in close and grabbed her wrist, flipping her over his shoulder and onto the ground. She breathed heavily, coughing dust out of her lungs. Zaheer headed to the water and washed his face. With his back still turned, Korrahopped on her one leg, tilted forward with her hands out, and sprung, flipping once onto his shoulders. She wrapped her one leg around his thick neck. He tried to flip her off by tilting forward. She used that momentum to hurl herself, with her leg still around his neck, at the ground, causing both of them to backflop into the water. 

Korra disengaged and began swimming towards shore. She heard Zaheer coming after her and tried to walk on her hands, much faster than walking on her one leg. While she was doing so, Zaheer bent down and grabbed a handful of sand, throwing it into Korra's face. She hit the ground hard.

“I can’t see!” She sputtered

“Use this to learn! You may not always have your eyes, just as you may not always have your bending.”

He continued advancing even as Korra sat trying to blink the sand out of her eyes. She could not see him but she heard his footsteps. She waited, listened, and flipped onto her hands, spun, and flipped Zaheer onto his back. She spun once more before bringing her heel down onto his stomach. 

He exclaimed as Korra walked onto her hands to the water, where she washed her eyes out. Zaheer recovered after a few minutes, enough to walk over to Korra and offer his hand to get her back to her foot. He placed a hand on her shoulder, a bit of pride shining in his eyes. 

“Good. You have learned that I, a non bender, can still fight. And you can fight without bending as well. This has been another lesson: never underestimate your opponent." 

"But when would I ever need to fight without my bending?" 

Zaheer took his hand off her shoulder as she moved her arms, gathering some water from the river and froze it onto her left leg. 

"Some nonbenders have perfected the art of chi blocking, the ability to temporarily block all bending in a body. It is a valuable asset, especially to the avatar." 

“Will you teach me this?” 

Zaheer looked around. None of the Red lotus members were in earshot. “Soon, but in secret. Benders do not like the fact that their bending can be taken away, even briefly. And because you are the avatar, in time, you can learn to take away people's bending for good." 

Korra's eyes widened and she unconsciously looked at her hands. "I can do that?" 

"Past avatars have been able to do that, and I have faith you will be able to as well. I cannot teach you that, that is something you will have to learn on your own spiritual journey. However, you will keep this a secret, won’t you, Korra?” 

Although he did not have malice in his voice, Korra knew that if she did say anything, she would be punished. She nodded. 

“Alright, that’s enough training for now. Let’s eat, then resume your meditative studies.” 

Windchimes filled the air. Although Ming-Hua and Ghazan weren’t the meditative type, P’Li and Zaheer certainly were, as well as about a quarter of the Red Lotus members. After lunch, those that were all met in the outdoor pavilion, sitting around the Red Lotus symbol that had been carved in the red stone beneath them. Korra entered the spirit world in sync with P’Li and Zaheer. They met at Xai Bau’s Grove as usual. Zaheer, P’Li, and Korra went off as a trio, wandering the vastness of the Spirit world. It was rejuvenating. However, as Korra went deeper and deeper into the wildlands, she felt her connection with Zaheer and P’Li get looser. 

“May I visit the Fog Lost Souls?” she asked, startling the couple from their conversation. Zaheer raised an eyebrow. 

“What brought this on? You normally hate that place. You say it’s depressing.” 

“It is. But...I need to go...because I myself feel lost. And, please. This is something i must learn for myself.” 

With as much courage as her eight-year-old self could muster, Korra stood her ground against the stares of these two adults. Eventually, Zaheer nodded. 

“Go. We will wait for you in Xai Bau’s Grove.” 

Korra bowed slightly and then teleported to the edge of the Fog of Lost Souls. She stared into the Fog. She never liked it; she had learned to fear it due to several trips when she was younger. But she knew that she had to face it someday. She sat and stared into the deep, the whiteness that spread beyond the canyon. It wafted up in the air as tendrils that threatened to overtake her and drag her into the pit. She let out a shaky breath and stood there, waiting. Finally, she heard it. 

“Korra.” 

She jerked her head up. 

“I’m here.” Her heart beat faster and faster. 

“You did not come here because you wanted to…” 

She shook her head and faced the ground. “I came because I need to. I know that I am the Avatar, that I am supposed to be able to connect to my past lives. But…” 

“But no one is letting you. Why do you think that is so?” 

“Because then they might tell me that I am doing things wrong.”

“We are only here to guide you. Find your animal guide, continue to travel the world in your studies. You cannot gain everything you want in this moment.” 

“Why not?” She pouted. 

The voice didn’t return, but staring into the Fog was slightly less terrifying. That voice, Korra knew, was not one of evil intent. It had helped her before-- it would continue to help her. She just had to be patient. Her all-time least favorite thing. 

She popped by Xai Bau’s Grove and met with Zaheer and P’Li. They did not ask her anything, which concerned Korra more than anything. Nevertheless, they all returned to the material world and went about the rest of their day. 

In the evening, P’Li and Korra went out of the compound in search of an animal guide. Out of everyone at the compound, P'li was the person Korra had confided most. When they went out, P’Li covered her head with a scarf and Korra wore a dress to cover up her ice leg, along with tying her hair up in a bun rather than her traditional ponytail. They walked some known paths before getting far enough away from the compound that there were no roads left to follow. 

“P’Li?” 

“Yes, Korra?” 

“Do you think I’ll find an animal guide out here?” 

“I don’t see why not.” 

They walked in silence for a little longer. They had been nearly inseparable when Korra was younger but as her training got more intense, they drifted apart and Korra wasn’t sure why. 

“P’Li?” 

“Yes, Korra?” 

“Do you not want to be with me because I can’t learn firebending in the same way you do it?” 

P’Li stopped in her tracks and knelt down. “No! Of course not!” 

“Then why don’t you want to be around me?” 

“Oh, sweetie,” she pulled Korra in for a hug. “I’ve just been busy.” 

“But you’re able to make it to my training sessions and meditation,” Korra pointed out. 

“That’s because Zaheer asks me to be there. When I am not there, I am trying to free people like me from corrupt rulers.” 

“That’s what I’m supposed to be training for!” 

“It is, Korra. And some day, I dare say, you might be better at it than I am. But that is my job, and I put my job first.” 

“You put other people before yourself?” 

“I put freedom above all.” 

Korra nodded. She would remember that conversation for years. 

They did not find an animal guide that day, but within the next week they found Amon. 

It took four separate talks/threatening sessions with Zaheer and P’Li, with an entrance from Ming-Hua to get Amon to stop trying to escape. Ultimately, it was P’Li that got through to him with nearly the same argument she and Korra had earlier: “Freedom brings the ultimate equality”. 

Korra was nearing her 9th birthday when Amon shed that persona and went by his Water Tribe given name: Noatak. It was under the full moon every month that they trained. Just after her 9th birthday, Noatak showed her that he could blood bend even without the full moon, by way of visualizing it, knowing that though it was not near, but still present. They practiced on herds of wild ostrich horses and some of the 'lesser' Red Lotus members. Noatak also showed Korra how to break someone else’s bloodbender grip. Although Korra grimaced with pain every time she was subjected to learn that lesson, she went through with it, each time stronger. 

The real test came. This was nearly another year after being with Noatak. Korra faced him, Ming-Hua, and just over half a dozen other waterbenders. There would be three stages to this: one in the shallows of the ocean, one in the mountains with a limited supply, then one where there was no water in sight. 

Ice and water flew faster than the speed at which most people blinked. Korra got hit several times, but each time she stood back up. She felt Noatak try to bloodbend her, but she walked through the hold and psychically reversed it. He froze for a fraction of a second but that was long enough for Korra to lock his arms and legs in ice. She accomplished that feat when she buckled at the knee: someone melted the ice of her left leg. She immediately froze it again and turned to the nearest bender: Ming Hua with her wicked smile.

The eight-armed waterbender was much harder to pin down. Korra kept buckling as different waterbenders kept melting her left leg. Eventually she moved just onto the shore, flipped onto her hands, and ran around that way. She grabbed one of Ming Hua's tentacles and ripped off some of the water, making her own whip out of it, smacking down three of the other waterbenders. Once they were down, she summoned a wave and encased them in ice. Now only five remained. She flipped, dodged, fell, and surfed all over the place, multiple times. She couldn’t concentrate on making ice, bloodbending, and dodging all their attacks. She tried to make Ming-Hua take out the others but the woman was smart enough to not fall for that trick again. So when the time was right, Korra and her still tiny body dodged through the arms and water whips of five attackers, launched herself into the air, and let out a freezing breath, stopping Minu Hua's arms in their paths. Four Lotus Waterbenders were left. Korra raised her hands, lowered her thumb and fingers as if in a handshake. All four of the Lotus members writhed. She disengaged one hand, loosening her bloodbending grip slightly to raise the water level around the four and immediately froze them in an iceberg. Looking around, she was the only one left floating freely in the water. As all her opponents unfroze themselves, she turned to Zaheer and Unalaq. Only one of them came close to giving her any indication that she did good. 

Onto the next challenge: a mountain ledge. There was a tiny river below and some grass around but other than that the arena was just rocks. 

Ming-Hua was already at a disadvantage because of the lack of water. She had to dance around Korra to the edge of the cliff so she could get water from the river to make her arms. Korra had to hop on one leg until she could grab water from the river to make her left leg. With the same motion, she made a whip and easily took down two of the Lotus waterbenders. However, she didn't have an endles supply of water so she did not freeze them. As she spun around, Noatak began to bloodbend her. This time, his connection much stronger and she had to concentrate to make the sensation go away, costing her dearly; one of the Lotus benders melted her leg, allowing Ming Hua time to gather more river water to her arms. She smacked Korra in the chest and the girl went careening into a rock. Two of the lotus waterbenders pulled a wave of water up from the river and encased Korra in ice. 

Unalaq and Zaheer both frowned. They reset. 

Korra attacked first, keeping the Lotus members frozen by bloodbending telepathically. She made sure her position on the edge of the cliff was secure before she brought out her water whip. Although Noatak battered it away the first three strokes, the fourth time it wrapped around his wrist and Korra froze it as an anchor to the ground. 

She let go of the Lotus members and focused on Ming-Hua, who had almost gotten the river water up the side of the mountain. Korra smiled a little to wickedly for someone her age, took the water from Ming Hua's grasp and used it to freeze the woman's feet to the ground. The Lotus members were the only ones left. Now, eight versus one didn’t seem like a fair fight. It was tough, Korra did get knocked down. Once, she almost fell off the edge of the cliff. They repeatedly melted her leg so she said 'screw it' and flipped onto her hands, using her right leg as an arm to control the water whip, which she turned into an ice sickle. She kicked down, grazing one of the waterbenders on the arm just enough to anchor him to the ground. She used her now free hands (she threw herself onto her back) to raise the river water up over her head, crashing as a small tsunami onto the last seven waterbenders. She made a fist and the tsunami became an iceberg. 

Unalaq had the shine of pride in his eyes. Zaheer was less showy about it. 

“The last task is tomorrow,” he said. 

They were far from the compound so they decided to make camp for that night. Korra slept alone in her own tent until she felt hands cover her mouth and grab her arms. She lashed out without bending, dislocating her attacker’s arm and he immediately let go. 

She got to her feet and felt her blood begin to move with outside help. She resisted the pull, giving her body back it’s full control. She peaked her head out of her tent. It was just past midnight. Zaheer had been true to his word: the task was tomorrow. And it was now 'tomorrow', under the full moon, meaning not only was the landscape illuminated, everyone’s bending would be at its fullest. 

Korra found herself face to face with the well equipped Red Lotus waterbenders, who were armed with water they had brought along for hydration. Ming-Hua had apparently not dried out her clothes after washing them, and took the moisture right out of the cloth, providing her with short but effective arms. Noatak pulled water from the few plants that were around. Korra was the only one that did not have water. But she smiled and jumped on her one foot, raising a hand towards the heavens and brought back down a deluge of water from the clouds, which disappeared as she gathered the water into two whips and a leg. 

The feat of bringing down water from the clouds was impressive by any standard, but it didn't provide her with the same supply the lotus members had. SHe had to jump and dodge and steal their water, every drop, to have a fighting chance. One got a great shot on her and she tumbled over the edge of the cliff. It was only because Noatak used bloodbending that she didn’t fall to her death then and there. She hated the feeling but it was only after she got close enough that she severed the connection and vaulted herself over Ming-Hua, which was a bad mistake: Ming-Hua used one of her arms to grab Korra’s icy ankle and nearly threw the child over the cliff edge again.

“Is that all you’ve got?” Korra jeered, forcing the rush of water meant to freeze her in place into her collection of water. 

She rushed to attack once more, this time finally icing down three of the Red Lotus waterbenders. Only seven more assailants to go. 

Korra flipped to the branches of the nearest tree. She ripped the water out of the trunk and smacked Noatak in the face with it. He checked his cheek as his eyes smarted, but once he looked back at the tree, Korra was nowhere to be seen. She was behind the trunk, waiting, feeling for the next person. It was Ming-Hua. Korra saw the watery arm spread across the bark- like sap defying gravity. Korra touched the truck, putting some water back into it. She then used the water to open the trunk and trap Ming-Hua fully in it like she had become possessed by a tree spirit. 

Noatak retreated and let the five waterbending lotus members to have their chances. With the water that fell from Ming-Hua, Korra had a whip long enough to take out all five, but they easily deflected it, breaking the whip back into regular old puddles of water. Korra bared her teeth and lowered her hands. The five writhed. She took the chance and let go for a moment, taking the puddles and freezing the members. It was just Noatak and her left. 

They charged each other. Korra, being the younger and more agile, wriggled past his attack and was able to trip him with a cleverly placed hook of ice on the ground. But she was running out of water to freeze. They turned once more to face the other, and at the same time bent their thumbs and lowered their hands. They began bloodbending each other, the full moon shining down on them. They both let its power strengthen their own but they both had the same strong will, though Korra began to feel her grip slipping. She did the dirty thing: unfroze one of the Lotus members and used him as a human baseball bat and hit Noatak upside the head with the bloodbent member. She then froze the water around both of them. 

She turned at the sound of clapping; Unalaq stepped out of the shadows. 

“Congratulations, Korra. You are a master Waterbender.” 

If she hadn’t been exhausted, she probably would have done more than give a weak smile. Zaheer came out of the shadows as well. 

“We will begin your earthbending training with Ghazan. However, Unalaq will guide you from time to time with tangible spiritual matters. And, of course, you will continue practicing with Ming-Hua and Noatak.” 

Korra felt the excitement building in her chest, but her exhausted limbs kept her excitement down to a small smile. P’Li came over and hugged her, then guided her back to her tent. Once Korra was asleep (which didn’t take long at all), P’Li went over to talk with Unalaq and Zaheer. 

“At this rate, she will be fourteen and have grasped three of the four elements. How will we get her to master the fourth if there are no teachers or even benders that can, or will, teach her?” 

Zaheer moved away, towards one of the watch positions. He dismissed the guards with a wave of his hand and sat down. P’Li and Unalaq followed, but he also waved Unalaq off. 

“I am the son of Avatar Aang. I had airbending. I had been a mischievous, reckless child, even though I soaked up all the lessons that da--that Aang taught.” he looked at P’Li, who, for once, let her puzzlement betray her; her eyes widened. Zaheer continued. “When I was almost twenty, I got in a dangerous situation, and I betrayed the Airbender’s code. I did it to save my life, but in the process, I took out two dozen men...the wrong ones. The public cried for me to be executed, but instead, Aang took away my bending.” He looked at his hands. “I never could forgive him for that. I would have rather died than given up my bending. But seeing as how everyone else thought I was as good as dead without it, I decided that I would make myself dangerous, even more dangerous than any bender alive.” he made his hands into fists, his anger unleashing itself through his voice. P’Li placed her hand on his arm. 

“You have become dangerous, but also more compassionate. You saved me.” She pulled his face so he could look in her eyes. “You are a smart man, Zaheer. I never knew you had bending, and still fell in love with you. Now that I know you had bending, had it taken away, and yet still persevered, I love you even more.” 

They touched foreheads and sat, hand in hand, on the cliff edge until sunrise. 


	3. A wretched spirit is worse than a broken body (pt 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (bit of a time skip) Korra trains with Ghazan, then ventures into the spirit world to learn from Unalaq.

“Again!” Ghazan readied his stance as Korra steadied herself from tipping over. “Always imagine your opponent is stronger, faster, and smarter than you. Out manuvre them! If I sweep the rocks out from under your legs, use that spinning motion to either move your body into a handspring or tuck and roll.” 

Korra’s sweaty brow glistened in the dying light of the day. She was ten, but so much older in strength for both her body and mind. She took Ghazan’s advice and when he tried that trick, sweeping the rocks out from under her, she used that momentum to fall into a backflip. Springing back into a standing position, she threw a handful of tiny rocks at Ghazan, one of which actually connected with his nose. He stumbled back. 

“Good! You used your surroundings even when they weren’t supposed to work to your advantage.” He wiped away the small trickle of blood away from his nostrils and took a new stance. “Time for your favorite challenge.” 

Korra grinned. She didn’t wait for Ghazan, she lept to the side and pressed her hands to the ground. Instantly, the rocks turned molten and steam rose into the air. Ghazan lept out of the way and launched himself over the pool of lava, taking a chunk of rock and in midair turning it into a flying molten disc of death. 

Korra dodged the first disc but the second one she pulled towards her then pushed back in a simple move. Ghazan deflected it into the ground. 

Korra sured her footing then raised her arms, retrieving some of the lava from her previous pool, and sent a tidal wave towards her opponent. Ghazan parted it then sent it right back at her. She dove away just in time. 

They were at a stalemate; Korra held boulders the size of small apartments over his head and he had a wave of lava at his command. They conceded and the earth returned to the ground. Ghazan grinned and crossed his arms. 

“You’re getting good.” He tilted his chin up, turning that grin into a smirk from Korra’s point of view. “But next time, I’ll get ya.” 

“I wish it could have been now but, duty calls.” Korra said. Ghazan accompanied her to her tent. She just dashed in and back out with her bag on her shoulder. Ghazan whistled for the ostrich horse and Korra mounted it. 

“Do good. Ok, kid?”

Korra smiled. “Ok.” She flicked the reins and on her steed rode out past the encampment down to the neighboring town. She met with one of the Red Lotus members at the town docks. 

“Ready to go?” The woman was wearing earth kingdom garb, so was Korra. She wore a green and white ankle-length dress over a pair of pants to completely cover her now-made-of-stone left leg. They were masquerading as citizens off to see the northern lights. 

“Yes, mom.” 

“All aboard!” The captain of the ship called out. In no time, the ship was docking in the Northern Harbor. The "mother and daughter" both donned parkas and made their way with the crowds. They checked into their rooms but as soon as they were away from everyone, they headed towards the northern portal. It was only accessible by those the royal family and master waterbenders the board permitted. Korra and her guardian showed badges and the guards let them through. 

Korra caught her breath after finally breaching the portal’s light. Below sprawled an amazing valley, filled to the brim with colorful mushrooms, vines, flowers, and more. Spirits lazily floated in the air or some were chasing each other through the forest. The Tree of Time stood in the center, still caging Vaatu. Although she knew her destination was in the mountains, Korra went over to the Tree. 

"Hello, Vaatu," she said. The kite looking spirit folded its top half to 'look' at her. 

"Still dwindling," he noted. 

"I am not dwindling!" Korra stomped her foot. Vaatu laughed. 

"I was not talking to you, child. You will soon become the strongest Avatar there ever was! As soon as you learn your newest lesson." 

"Korra, Unalaq is waiting," the Red lotus member beckoned Korra to leave the tree. Korra glared at Vaatu before looking at the woman. 

“We have to go to the mountains,” Korra said, gruffly. Her guardian nodded. 

“Lead the way.” 

The mountain was in turmoil as always; this was not the first time she had been to the Northern Portal, but this was going to be one of the most important visits yet. As they neared the great mountain, the skies began to darken. Korra wanted to let them get dark, let wind howl in her ears. She wanted to hear the crack of hunger shake the mountain. What snapped her out of the dramatics was her guardian, who would stop and admire pretty much every spirit and unique plant they ran across. Korra also had a slight fear of what would happen if she was extremely late to her uncle's lesson. Quickening her pace, Korra breached the edge of the mountain. Unalaq was in the center of the peak’s divot, fussing about something, his back turned to Korra. She decided to turn around and really look at the world laid bare in front of her. It really was magnificent. She didn’t have time to take it all in as she felt something wrap around her wrist. Immediately, she earthbent a sharp stone to break off the connection. It worked, but two more arms came after her. She saw a stream and grabbed some water and let it freeze into points on her hands. 

“Dark spirits,” she mumbled, ready to launch into an attack. The Spirit floated closer to her but before it could reach out again, it was enveloped in a cage of water. Korra peeled her eyes off the spirit and its prison to see Unalaq waving his arms in a circular motion. Turning back to the spirit, she saw a yellow light inching its way up the water, in turn, changing the dark spirit back into one of light. As soon as the conversion was complete, the water fell away and the spirit went back to Unalaq’s side. Korra let the ice melt off her hands and she approached her uncle. Her look of bewilderment nearly made him chuckle. 

“Yes, Korra, this is why I wanted you to come into the spirit world through the portal; now you can use your bending, and use it to your fullest capabilities.” 

“So I’ll be learning…” 

“Learning how to both change spirits to your liking and revert them back to their original forms.” 

“Sweet!” 

"But first, you must know what spirits are. There are several kinds of spirits; those that take the forms of plants, some that take the forms of animals, some that do not take animal or plant form form but do not speak, and some that do not hide their true forms and can speak. Usually, the latter are the most powerful kinds of spirits, very hard to turn, much harder to destroy. Those of animals are able to be killed and eaten, those of plants are able to be picked and eaten, though also used for medicine and cooking. Those that do not hide their true forms but cannot speak are the easiest to turn and control. In order to do that, you must have a strong will." 

Unalaq began to demonstrate. The moves were nearly the same for corrupting and purifying the spirits, however, it was with your intent, partially how vigorously you moved your arms, as to how the spirit changed. After a few times practicing without a subject, Unalaq asked one of the spirits to go over to Korra. She steadied her breathing and began the form. 

The spirit got rigid as it was entrapped. The spirit was already of Light, so Korra focused her dark thoughts and desires into the water. Darkness began to crawl up the spirit in a purple goo, corrupting the being quickly, but not without toll; beads of sweat poured down Korra’s forehead and arms, her movements became sluggish and she felt as if she were running up the side of the mountain.

Yet, for her troubles, the spirit had turned; it’s hue blue and purple, red dots underneath its glowing yellow eyes. Unalaq had a satisfied look on his face until he noticed how weak Korra looked. He stepped up to her and laid his hand on her shoulder, but without any warmth. 

“Why was that such a struggle for you?” 

She shook her head and looked at her sweaty palms. “I don’t know.” 

“You don’t know?” He stood up to his full size, towering over Korra. “You will reverse this spirit and try again. If you labor like this again, we will have to talk with Zaheer about where your loyalties lie.” 

She didn’t dare question him. She wiped off her forehead and began to convert the spirit back. This time, she barely realized the ritual had ended. She opened her eyes and the spirit was pure once more. She smiled and went over to pat the spirit on the head, drawn to the little creature. 

“Again,” Unalaq said, standing like a military man, hands clasped behind his back. Korra stood back up and took a few steps away from the spirit. She made the cage of water around the spirit and began to pour anger and fear into the spirit. As she channeled those emotions, a voice spoke in her head. 

“Korra, this is not who you are…” 

The cage around the spirit fell into puddles, and the spirit, half-crazed, bounded away. Unalaq unclasped his hands and advanced slowly on Korra. 

“What...was that?” 

“I heard a voice…” 

“A voice. A voice that is not mine? And you let it distract you!” He raised his hand to smack her but anger flooded Korra. She pushed his feet out from under him, stepped away, and grabbed some water, turning it into the same cage she had used for the spirit. 

“No, Korra, that’s not how this works!” He started to do countermoves, and the prison was fading. Korra’s eyes went big as the prison broke back into puddles. 

“You are not nearly strong enough to go toe to toe with me, Avatar,” he spat, gathering the water. Korra had nowhere to run. She didn’t want to run. She wanted to fight. She picked up some water as well. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the Red Lotus member pick up some water for herself, but Unalaq immediately spun around and incapicated her. 

Korra used that slight advantage to get close to Unalaq and weigh him down with ice around his arm. He broke free of it while sending multiple shards of ice at her. She somersaulted away, collecting the ice and turning it back on her uncle. He ducked and, while still crouched, sent a wave of water towards Korra, freezing it just as she tried to leap over it. The ice caught her toe and she face planted. Her uncle lifted her up by her hair and threw her to the ground, beginning to set the watery cage around her. As her body began to get consumed by darkness, something within her lurched. 

Her eyes opened, brilliant orbs of light spewing out. She broke through the cage and began to rise up on a whirlpool of water.

“You dare to soil the Avatar Spirit?” A thousand generations echoed in Korra’s words. She sent a sword of water slicing down on Unalaq. 

“Raava.” 

The deep voice that shook the mountain shouted in Korra’s mind, turning any coherent thought into static. The watery sword harmlessly splashed on Unalaq, who looked around and smiled at the voice. 

“Vaatu,” both Unalaq and Korra said. 

“It’s good to see you’re back. Hahahahahaha.” 

Darkness swept through the valley. Korra’s chest began to burn, her eyes nearly blinked away the light. Her feet touched the ground as her whirlpool dissipated. Her eyes still glowed as she walked around slowly. It was now no longer her own actions, but the spirit living within her, Raava, that extended Korra’s arms and spread them out, casting the same bright light from within out into the valley. The spirits that had been changed into their dark selves began to float towards the top of the mountain. Wind circled the spirits, crowding them together. They gnashed their teeth, wailed, and their tendrils tried to escape the whirlwind. Korra’s right hand stayed extended, moving clockwise to keep the whirlwind going, as her left hand first reached behind her to grab water. She extended her left hand to match her right, and the whirlwind was replaced with the watery cage. 

“No!” Unalaq cried. Korra’s eyes changed back to their brilliant blue. She didn’t look over her shoulder to see the anguish and anger crossing her uncle, focusing on the light within herself. The darkness emanating from the group of spirits was enticing, yes. It was chaotic. A part of her wanted to keep them that way; after all, she had been taught that chaos is freedom. But chaos did not necessarily mean darkness...right? 

“Korra!” Unalaq roared. 

She took a deep breath and caged the dark spirits. She began the ritual cleansing, golden light flooded the mountainside. It was easier, but Korra would not have been able to complete the task without the Red Lotus woman, who regained consciousness and immediately began hurling ice shards at Unalaq. Getting wacked in the head by ice was enough to distract Unalaq, who yelled and threw an ice boulder at the woman.  Korra struggled to remain calm, to impart pure thoughts onto the spirits. Vaatu and Raava were yelling inside her head, sounding list static. She was nearly brought down to her knees by the commotion and the energy being spent but she stayed upright, completely cleansing the army of spirits. Unalaq stopped fighting the Red Lotus woman once Korra put her arms down. He shook his head, armed crossed, his blue eyes glinting with evil desires. 

"Turn those creatures back into dark spirits." 

"Why would I do that? They're at peace now!" 

"Do it." 

"What will you do if I don't?" Korra stepped toe to toe with him, her heart racing.

"What will happen? I will corrupt your spirit. What makes you the avatar would be turned dark. Maybe then you'd be able to turn these spirits no problem. Maybe then you wouldn't be such a failure."

"I am not a failure! I did as you asked!" 

"And now I am telling you to do this, Korra. Turn those spirits dark, or I will turn you dark." 

Korra looked at her uncle, back at the spirits, back at her uncle. "You saw what happened when you tried that last time." 

"You will learn to continue Vaatu's work and quell that light spirit inside you. I guess Zaheer has neglected to tell you what your true purpose is." He crossed his arms and looked over his shoulder, purpousfully away from Korra, who immediately fell for the bait. 

"I am supposed to help bring balance to the world," she said, somewhat doubtful, raising an eyebrow, feeling that the words weren't quite her own. 

"You are supposed to help us bring freedom, through any means necessary. Are you prepared to do that?" 

Korra couldn't stop the word from slipping between her lips. "No." 

Unalaq stared down at Korra. 

"You will be."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is all I had sorta pre written so it might take a bit longer for me to upload new content :(


	4. Ghost stories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cute little piece before Korra's life becomes pain and misery

Korra and her guardian left the Spirit world after that ordeal with Unalaq. They stayed in an inn at the edge of the city, close to the privatized docks and far from the city center. They got food to go from a vendor and went to see the northern lights. They were beautiful, pillars made of light and spirits that danced around the open sky, illuminating the city and the ice caps. They were centered around the northern portal, a beacon for the spirits to gather around like moths to a flame. Some entered, some exited. Every so often the earth rumbled when an exceptionally large spirit breached the beam and let its figure be known to humans. Korra and her guardian stayed up long that night, mesmerized by the creatures as well as the stories that accompanied each of them, given by the elders and some children that made their version of ghost stories around a campfire. 

“On top of the glacier surrounding the town is a den. Ten years ago it had been thought empty until one hunter took refuge in it and was attacked!” He made growling noises, a slashing motion with his hand, and fell on his back, holding his chest where he had been ‘mauled’. With a grin, he sat back up. “The other members of his hunting party heard his terrified cries and ran towards them. Through the snowstorm, all that could be seen was a set of teeth as big as a person and eyes black as the night sky. They threw their spears and brought down the Polar bear dog that killed their friend. When the next group of hunters returned to that same den, they were slaughtered. It is said that the spirit of the polar bear dog still lives in her den, killing anyone that walks near!”

The teenager doubled down in laugher at the children’s terrified eyes, as some of them got up and ran, crying, to their mothers. After the second kid did that, the teenager was smacked in the head by their grandmother and sulked in the corner as some of the other teenagers began discussing the story. 

“May...maybe the polar bear dog had a pup?” one of the teenaged girls commented. 

“That’s the logical answer,” her friend replied.

“You just don’t want to believe in vengeful spirits,” the storyteller’s friend teased. “Well they’re real and they’re coming for you!” He made noises like what kids personify ghosts to sound like, inching towards the girl. She smacked him away. 

As Korra watched the two teenagers play fight, she went into her own little world. It had been three years since Korra and P’li went on their first search for an animal guide--that story reignited that memory. Over the years she had gone with some of the other Red Lotus members in search of an animal guide, with no avail. Then she had a thought: what if the animal had been in the north pole, waiting for her, the entire time? All the hunters that had gone after it died… but she wouldn’t be hunting it! She began to get jittery with the thought of finally having an animal companion. She looked over her shoulder to see her guardian chatting with one of the mothers, watching the circle of kids. Korra pouted to herself until she perked up with a great idea: she grabbed a handful of snow and threw it in the face of another kid. 

Immediately the kid grabbed some snow to retaliate with, but the mother and the Red lotus woman grabbed the kid and Korra, respectively. 

“I am so sorry,” The Red Lotus agent said to the mother, who was wiping the snow out of her child’s face. Korra stuck her tongue out at the kid, which prompted the kid to kick some snow at her. The kid's mother grabbed her and walked away, scolding the child to no end. The Red Lotus agent grabbed Korra’s hand and drug her away from the crowd. 

“What are you doing?!” 

“I’m having fun…” Korra said innocently, swaying back and forth with puppy eyes. 

The woman sighed. “We’re going back to the hotel; you still have training in the morning.” 

Korra let her expression turn to sadness but she walked along with the woman, shuffling her feet the appropriate amount. When they got to the room: one bedroom, two beds, the caretaker immediately put Korra to bed. The blue-eyed girl pretended to be asleep as the woman puttered around for a bit until she finally went to sleep herself. Korra waited nearly another hour until she heard loud snoring from the next bed over, put on her coat, and snuck outside into the nearly deserted streets. 

She scurried through the dark alleyways all the way to the natural wall of a glacier. Korra decided to punch a hole through it, then tunneled/climbed upwards. She broke through the surface of the glacier some hundred feet off the ground. She could see the portal’s beam coming through the ice (an optical illusion, it was coming through the spirit oasis, which was surrounded by the glacier walls still). Although a breathtaking view, she turned away from it, towards where she imagined the den would be located. With no one else nearby, she was able to use her bending to clear away the snow in front of her and made a sled. She kept her eyes peeled for a rock, which wasn’t as hard as it could have been; the northern lights illuminated the glacier area fairly well. She saw some of the individual spirits looking down at her with curiosity and disdain. She pursed her lips, liquified some of the snow (creating a lasso), and threw it into the air, catching one of the brighter spirits, manhandling it down to her side. 

“Have you heard about a polar bear dog attacking people anywhere near here?” She interrogated the spirit. 

The spirit, shaped like a squid but with two eyes, crossed two of its appendages. “Why do you want to know, child?” 

“I am the avatar and I want to finally find my animal companion,” Korra raised an eyebrow at the spirit, who squinted. 

“I can’t see much of the avatar spirit within you.” 

“Will you help me or not?” 

It sighed. “Fine. Follow me. But take this rope off!” 

Korra didn't have a chance as the spirit made the water lasso dissipate off its body. She rolled her eyes but began to follow the spirit, which zoomed across the land at a pace even she had a hard time keeping up with. Apparently her guess about where the rock should be had been completely wrong; they probably went five miles back to the right course before the spirit began to slow down. It pointed one of its appendages straight ahead. 

“There.” 

Korra nodded and stepped off her ice sled. The spirit floated lazily behind her, watching. She cleared the ice and snow in front of her, all the way to the mouth of the cave, which she approached wishing she had a lantern or something. 

“Hello?” she called out. “I don’t want to hurt you! I think you’re supposed to be my guide…” she felt stone beneath her foot and scooped a handful of it off the ground and melted it, allowing herself reddish illumination from the lava ball floating in the air just above her hand. She heard the growl from behind her. 

A half-grown polar bear dog blocked her exit. It was just as tall as she was, with fangs bared and red gums sharply contrasting its white fur. The red lavalight glinted dangerously from the predator's eyes. 

“I don’t want to hurt you…” Korra said, walking warily towards the creature, who growled, causing her to flinch and stop. “I think you’re supposed to be my guide. You’re ten, like me. Your mom died to keep you alive. My dad died trying to keep my village alive. We aren’t too different.” She sat down and put the lavaball back into the ground, where it spread thin over the ground providing eerie light and dancing shadows. 

The polar bear dog stopped growling once Korra sat on the ground and laid down, still blocking the entrance to the cave, putting its head on its front paws. Korra slowly scooted herself towards the beast, who eyed her but did not lash out. The creature blinked when rough fingers scratched its face, the first friendly touch by a human in its entire life. Its tail started wagging and the mouth that had been snarling began to smile. Korra returned the expression and began to cuddle with the beast. 

“I think I’ll call you Naga, do you like that, girl?” 

The polar bear dog thumped her tail excitedly. Korra took that as a yes. After a while, she stood up and Naga moved out of the way so they could both exit the den. The spirit hovered over the ground, pretending to clap. 

“Good job, you didn’t die. Now, what are you going to do? Bring this creature back into the city? I’m not even going to warn against it; I need some entertainment in my life.” 

Korra rolled her eyes at the spirit but she hadn’t thought about what she would do with the creature. She had to get her home, but something as large and unique as a domesticated polar bear dog would draw attention. As she thought, she looked at the now gentle beast. 

“She’s coming with me, no matter what.” 

The spirit uncrossed its appendages and changed color, faintly, but a shade that seemed calmer. 

“There is hope for you after all. Follow me." 

The spirit led Korra and her new companion through the snowy wasteland to the edge of the cliff. It was yet another breathtaking view: nearly the entirety of the Northern Water tribe in its comfortable crater; apartments climbing the glacial walls, boats roped on the edge of the waterways; the palace nestled closest to the Northern portal's light, blocking the rest of the city from being bathed in the blue energy's aura. 

"The people down in that crater will want to kill Naga. I can take her with me, keep her close to the portal. When you exit it for the final time, you can take her down this same path to the private docks behind your sleeping quarters." 

Korra did a double-take. "You'd do that for me?" 

The spirit's aura flickered dark. "Terrible tribulations come your way. Gather as many as you can to your side while there is time to gather them without fear." 

The Spirit blinked and morphed into a tiny ball of light that roamed in front of Naga then zoomed off towards the portal, towing the excited Polar bear dog in its wake. 

Korra tunneled back down to the crater floor and snuck back into the apartment before dawn. Those thirty minutes of sleep were not enough, but the excitement of finally having what every other Avatar had was. Maybe things would look up...she thought before drifting to sleep. But the omen muttered by the spirit rang in her ears. 

_ Terrible tribulations come your way. Gather as many as you can without fear.  _

_ Terrible tribulations come. Gather fear.  _

_ Terrible fear.  _

_ You will bring fear.  _

_ You will fear.  _


	5. Nothing good comes from a stealer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Get ready for everything to start going downhill! (Korra's first real trial and loss happens here cause Unalaq's honestly a bastard).

  
  


“You will learn to quell the spirit within you to make room for Vaatu, who you will merge with on the night of Harmonic Convergence. Your first step will be, as Zaheer would say, to let go of your earthly tether. Let go of your morality, let go of anything that will stop you from becoming who you are meant to be.” 

Unalaq strode around, hands behind his back, disregarding the fact that Korra was still 10 and did not have as much knowledge as he did. Korra pursed her lips and crossed her arms. 

“So...is that what you are going to be teaching me? How to ‘let go’?” 

“Don’t sass me, child,” he snapped. “I will teach you how to control yourself and tell you what is moral and correct. Your training will be supplemented by Zaheer when I am unable to leave my duties as Chief.” 

‘So...what are we doing now?” 

Unalaq ran his hand over his face, exasperated at his niece. “We are going on a field trip.” 

Korra walked alongside her Uncle with her guardian not far behind. They delved deeper and deeper into the spirit world passing the mountains, plains, and rivers before ultimately stopping at the edge of a swamp. Trees two hundred feet tall touched the sky with their tallest boughs. Trunks the size of buildings supported car thick branches. The duo (with the Red Lotus woman trailing behind), crossed the threshold into the swamp. Immediately a chill befell Korra, who shivered and rubbed her hands on her arms. 

“What are we doing  _ here _ , uncle?” 

Unalaq stopped walking. “This is a true test for you, Korra. This is where you will meet Koh the Facestealer.”

Korra shivered, partially out of fear, partially because of the cold waters that circled her knees. “The Facestealer?” 

Unalaq nodded and continued to forge ahead, making Korra rush to keep up with him. “If you make as much as one twitch of an eye, he will take your face to be his own for the next millennia.” 

“He’ll ...take my face? I’ll die?!” 

Unalaq took pleasure in his next statement (Pausing to think about his words before stooping down to Korra’s level, the traces of a grin playing on his lips, and eyes like a hawk watching its prey begin to flounder with every screech that came from its mouth.) 

“It’s a fate nearly worse than that. You continue living. But you cannot eat. You cannot see. You cannot smell. Despite that, you’ll be able to hear the jeers of everyone that you cross and you’ll be able to feel sick to your stomach, knowing that you lost. No one would want to follow...no, no one would be able to listen to an avatar that can’t even speak for herself.” 

Korra stood there open-mouthed, her body shaking from the pressure of keeping fearful tears inside. Unalaq stayed at her level, watching her expressions, his own darkening when she nearly stuttered. She didn’t get the chance to speak or stutter as Unaalq stood up, grabbed her hand, and towed her to the lair of Koh the Facestealer. 

Korra tried to calm herself, telling herself that this was just a test - which it was, in truth - that her uncle would never put her in harm's...way…. Ten years old and she realized her uncle didn’t care about her. He didn’t care if her face was taken. To him, she was only a vessel for the Avatar Spirit. Korra’s eyes changed a shade from crystal, icy blue to blueish grey. Unalaq stopped walking and looked at his niece. Immediately, he saw the change in her eyes and the change in her demeanor. Alarm bells rang in his head and he knelt down to her level. 

“Korra, let me tell you a trick. When he speaks to you, he will try to get to your emotions, get you to feel. When you feel, that's when your body begins to express itself because it cannot simply contain every emotion. So when he speaks to you, flip the table; get him to express himself. It’s just a...verbal sparring match. Ask a question and once you get the answer, get out of there. A fight that you know you cannot win is not a fight you should continue.” 

Doubt seeped into Korra’s mind and heart. Her uncle did seem to be helping her….

She nodded and took a rattling breath before stepping into the dark and musty liar of the Facestealer. 

“It’s been seventy years since the Avatar has graced me with their presence.” Like a spider spinning its web the voice connected from one point of the room to the next. Korra clenched her fists, fighting to keep her face neutral, instinctively knowing Koh would jump out at her. 

“You have a question to ask me…” The creepy lullaby voice spun around Korra’s ears. The noise of a thousand feet scuttled and scraped the tree’s roots around them. Coiling like a snake, Koh wrapped in on himself, ready to strike. 

“Will facing you make me stronger?” 

“It’s weakened you before.” Koh sprang like a coil, his face now of a beautiful woman with dark hair and brown eyes. Korra flinched but did not change her facial expression though her heartbeat nearly out of her chest. She squeezed her fists tighter than ever. 

“I stole your lover’s face and you collapsed in on yourself.” 

Korra struggled not to blink while Koh faced her. He began to crawl away, turning his head away from her. He snapped back, grinning with a banshee’s lips. 

“I am not weak like I have been,” Korra growled as best she could while keeping her face neutral. 

“You are not stronger than you have been. The spirit within you diminishes, making room for another. The future is not as clouded as you want it to be.” A pause. “I told your last incarnation I would see him again. I suppose that came true. But he was not as foolish as you!” 

Koh backtracked and rose to his full height, free of the confines of the lair. He turned half his body 180 degrees, staring down at two figures. 

The Red Lotus woman glanced up and gasped, fully opening her mouth, eyebrows widened. 

“No!” Korra yelled as Koh began laughing from his throat until it escaped into the air as a booming interruption. 

The Red Lotus woman fell to the ground, her hands at her head, clawing at what used to be her face. 

Koh turned back around to look at Korra, who bit her tongue to keep from crying out, the hair and face of the Red Lotus woman blossoming out of the Spirit’s form. The spirit with the face of Korra’s ‘mother’ glanced at Unalaq before slithering back into his lair. 

“I’ll see you again, Avatar.” 

The spirit disappeared into the shadows. Korra turned her back on the lair’s entrance and ran to her guardian, who rocked herself back and forth. 

“We have to do something!” She cried. Her uncle merely looked at the woman and shook his head, staring into Korra’s pleading eyes. 

“We don’t have to do anything about it. You were told what to do and you failed. She was collateral damage. That happens when you aren’t careful and don’t do as you’re told. Now come along. And leave her.” 

Korra’s hand still rested on the woman’s. “We can’t just leave her.” 

“Yes, we can, and we have to. She knew what could happen when she came on this excursion. If she came with us think of what would happen if someone saw her in town. You can’t care for her. She can’t eat or drink. She’d die on the way back to the Earth kingdom. At least here in the spirit world she doesn’t have to hear the jeers of strangers.” 

Korra still did not let go until the woman grabbed her hand tight and brought it up to her face, nodding. Korra wiped her nose and let go. Unalaq gave a short, curt nod to the woman and steamrolled out of the swamp. He stopped at several spirits and turned them either dark or light and had Korra practice her purification/corruption of the spirits. She was getting much better at the latter; Unalaq smiled to himself seeing Korra’s anger finally leech onto another being. It would become easier and easier every tragedy she became exposed to. And when the time was right, Vaatu would be released and Korra would welcome him with open arms. 

One of Unalaq’s royal guards escorted Korra back to the hotel. Little pieces of clothing or the dishes for the take out they had reminded her of the woman. Her anger swelled until it burst, causing two of the walls of the building to explode. Korra grabbed her extra clothing, stuffed it into her bag, and huffed her way to the port. Naga was waiting with a wagging tail; the only highlight of the entire trip. She was escorted onto a private boat by the same royal guard Unalaq sent with her earlier. He didn’t take kindly to Naga; i.e. screamed and called security until Korra jumped on him, knocking him and pinning him to the ground with her ice pick leg. 

“She won’t eat you unless you tell me she can’t come aboard.” 

He shook his head. Needless to say, it was an entertaining ride back for Korra and a terrifying ride back for the guard. When she got back, after the initial debrief with the main four (and a half, they did include Noatak at this meeting), Korra grabbed P'li and dragged her outside to meet Naga. Ghazan and Ming Hua watched from afar as Zaheer was pulled away from them by the royal guard, who handed him a letter. He opened it. 

“Although she is stubborn and strong-willed, Korra will, I believe, succumb to our plans in the perfect timing. She needs to begin firebending as soon as possible. The leadership needs to create a plan as to how she will learn airbending. You know my pick. Make yours.”

Zaheer methodically folded up the paper and stuffed it into a fold of his robe before returning to his cohorts. Another day, another time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> half of this is coherent and the other half might not be so apologies  
> And it ends sorts cut off because I wanted to get this published but couldn't think of a good ending (it'll just flow straight into next chapter like a chapter is, well, supposed to)


	6. The First Tile is Laid Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zaheer begins a quest for Korra before her firebending training

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is just a filler chapter but you know you gotta have the lull and bit of happiness before you shatter both your character's and reader's hearts.

“What do you mean you can’t teach me firebending?” Korra stalked up to P’li, betrayal written all over her face. 

P’li looked down at Korra and rested her hand on her shoulder. “Even the Firenation is looking for me. Besides that, I am unable to bend fire the same way you can.” 

“Korra,” Zaheer interrupted. “Your firebending training may be approaching, but you are not ready for it yet. Please, come with me,” he says, giving a knowing look at P’li, who leaves the scene so Korra had no other choice but to follow Zaheer to a secluded part of the base. Although she said nothing, her crossed arms and downturned lips told Zaheer just how upset she was. There were several ways he could have diffused the tension, but he chose the one Korra would like most: he sent a punch flying her way. 

She immediately blocked it and lifted her right leg for a swift kick to his ribs. He caught her leg and made a few quick jabs at her thigh and stomach. Her left leg (comprised of stone this time) fell to the floor in a bunch of pebbles. Korra bared her teeth and used the stump of her left leg to hit Zaheer in the face, then stood on her one good leg and threw a flurry of quick hits and jabs at his arms, grabbing his shirt front, hoisting herself up, and knocking him on the head with hers. She then let go and hopped back as he stumbled. They both stayed apart, catching their breath. Korra nodded first and scooted herself towards the wall, standing up with its support. Zaheer began walking the same way he had initially been headed. They entered a small room, mostly empty save for some oak bookshelves layered with dust, which stirred ever so slightly as the duo walked into the room. Korra stayed leaning on the doorway as Zaheer went over to the bookshelf on the right wall and squatted down to the very last shelf, fingers brushing over the spines until he found the one he was looking for. Gingerly taking it off the shelf, Zaheer then turned back to Korra. 

“What is it?” She asked, watching him leaf through the pages before her voice caught his attention. 

“This is a diary of one of the Air Nomads. It was written probably three hundred years ago.” 

He continued to flip through the pages until he found the entry he had apparently been looking for and began to read it aloud. 

“Although a nomadic nation, every one of us Airbenders knows we are all connected. To strengthen that connection, once a year we all gather at each of the temples we were born and trained in. There, we celebrate our heritage and gifts, we sing and dance and fly until every person has arrived. Once everyone is accounted for, we settle into meditation, feasting off each other’s adventures and knowledge in both the spiritual and material worlds.” 

He stopped, looking up to scrutinize Korra’s expression. She seemed...pained. 

“What is it?” 

“That’s how Aang’s people were wiped out.” She looked up at Zaheer, shaking her head. “They were brought together at each of the air temples then wiped out by the firenation.” Her voice got low, trembling with fury that wasn’t entirely her own. 

“That could be true. But that is not what I want you to learn from this. Listen to the words, repeat them in your mind. Why would  _ I _ bring you here to listen to one dead person’s diary entry?” 

Be began to read it again, still putting no emphasis on any words, entirely monotone. 

“Although a nomadic nation, every one of us Airbenders knows we are all connected. To strengthen that connection, once a year we all gather at each of the temples were were born and trained in. There, we celebrate our heritage and gifts, we ding and dance and fly until every person has arrived. Once everyone is accounted for, we settle into meditation, feasting off each other’s adventures and knowledge in both the spiritual and material worlds.” 

Korra scrunched up her face trying to think of why he would read that one diary entry. What has he been teaching her though? Think outside the box. 

“They were nomads and shared knowledge…”  Her eyes opened in a flash. “Knowledge that wouldn’t have been destroyed when the air temples were!” Then her face scrunched up again. “But what are we looking for?” 

“What do you think?” 

Korra looked around the room as she tried to think. Zaheer had told her that there was one family of airbenders left, Aang’s kids, but only one of them was an airbender and his kids were like...babies. It would be too reckless to kidnap Tenzien anyways. 

“Airbending scrolls?” 

“That’s part of it,” he replied his face unusually grave as Korra lit up. 

“Wait so will I start airbending before firebending? I mean that’d be cool but I just want to know if I can have my leg made of...you know...AIR!” 

‘You are going to hopefully find something else while we search for these scrolls.” 

Korra’s face fell slightly as she tried to remember the diary entry, trying to think of what else she could possibly find. “Better places for meditation?” 

“That could be.” 

“Uhhhhhh.” 

Zaheer crossed his arms. “I suppose you will learn more items as we travel. We will be leaving in two days, before sunrise. In the meantime, take some of these books and maps, see if any of them call or seem familiar to you. I will do the same. If we find places that overlap, those are the places we will go to first.” 

Korra looked at the few books and maps in the room. “Will we take Naga?” 

Zaheer set his jaw, thinking. 

“Please?”

He frowned. “Begging does not become you.” 

Korra crossed her arms. “Fine. We are taking Naga.” 

Zaheer nodded. “You may be disappointed, but life rarely lets anyone get their way all the time. What we want isn’t what’s best, though sometimes others give you what you want so you can learn a lesson. If we brought Naga with us, you would instantly be outed as the Avatar; animals like Naga aren’t found all over the world like they used to be. Do you think you are ready to be hounded by the press, by all the world leaders? You are strong, Korra, however, strength doesn’t mean you won’t feel pressure. And on anyone, too much pressure makes you break.” 

Korra mulled over his words. She tried to bend some of the rock onto the stump of her leg, but her chi was still blocked. Zaheer looked at her knowingly. She shook her head. 

“Will we be using a Satomobil, then?” 

“That, and we will be walking some. Though perhaps you could get some spirits to help us out if Unalaq is being truthful with how far you’ve come with your spirit wrangling.” 

Korra said nothing and kept her face as blank as it had been when she faced Koh. Zaheer tucked the book under his arm and places his free hand on her shoulder. 

“Every experience in life can be a learning experience. Some learn by words, as you just have, and some by actions.... Which is why we will be bringing Noatak with us on our journey, so we can drop him off at Republic city.”

“Republic city? We’re stopping there?” 

“We are passing through. You have surpassed Noatak in every waterbending skill and he asked to be...transfered.” 

“Why the city, though? Won’t he be recognized as one of us? He could get caught, he could rat us out. If his usefulness is ended then…” 

“Noatak never had any affiliation or real fervor about our goals; he’s only stayed this long because we promised we would help him reach the end of his goal: equality for non benders. But apparently we are taking too long, and he is not one to be hindered by words. So, we will let him go to Republic city." 

Zaheer left the room with the book in hand. He would return and take the rest that Korra didn't take to her quarters. Korra began to skim over the books but eventually got sucked into the past lives of random people, some air nomads, some earth, water, or firebenders benders, some just regular people. When a particular name or place just sorta hit her, Korra made record of it. She took so long (skipped two meals) that even Ming Hua began to worry. She accompanied Zaheer to the secret room to make sure Korra was still there and alive. She was fine, just annoyed people interrupted her reading. She had a long list of the places that stood out to her coupled with a shorter list of names, which she gave to Zaheer. She went back to her quarters (after the fifth book she read she remembered to attach her leg) and tried to sleep, however, excitement kept her awake. She was finally going to learn more powers, more of what it meant to be the Avatar. She had an inkling that she was destined for greatness. Perhaps this next adventure would reveal a tidal wave. Despite all the hurt she had been through, all the trials and tribulations, Korra fell asleep with a smile on her face, dreaming about what could be. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter you'll see some familiar faces  
> I'm thinking it's going to be a long chapter so it might take a few days to get just right


	7. A Seed Planted Will Either Bring a Fruitful Harvest or Bear Nothing (The Latter of Which, Will Be Burned)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra+Zaheer and Noatak head to Republic City. Philosophies run rampant as Korra runs into people us readers already know (though they're strangers to her).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another week, another chapter. Enjoy!

“We aren’t taking any guards with us?” Korra asked as Zaheer jumped into the driver’s seat of the Satomobil. 

“Noatak!” he yelled. The man grumbled as he set his bags in the back and climbed into the passenger seat. “And Korra, no we are not taking any guards with us. Hopefully, a situation would not arise so that we need more Red Lotus members. And if there is a situation like that, we will have to test our own limits.” 

Korra nodded and sank into the backseat of the Satomobil. It was a long drive to Republic city, and an even longer one than usual with two bickering men in the front seats. 

“Couldn’t you spare some Red Lotus members? You know my cause is just. You are working for it, you said that yourself.” Noatak implored all too late. 

Zaheer shook his head. “Noatak, you asked my people if they wanted to join you. Some said yes and are already there. You do not need to poach more of our good soldiers to fight for your little battle. We are already bringing the war to the rest of the world; you are just impatient.” 

“I am helping your cause! You know that not everyone will be on board at first. It will cause chaos just like you want. And from that chaos, I can rise and show my powers. And then, Korra will finally be able to show all of hers.” He looked back at Korra, who was watching the exchange like it was a sparring match, which, of course, it was. “While I am in the City, I will be using a fake name. Amon.” 

“Because you wish to remain...anonymous?” Korra asked, barely keeping in her laughs at her own joke. 

Zaheer smirked and Noatak just shook his head, rolling his eyes. He settled back into his seat, but lines creased around his temple, just enough for Korra to see them. He was hiding something. Probably many things, but this bothered him. She wondered what it was, but didn’t get the chance, as they approached a small town. 

“Alright, what is your name?” Zaheer turned around and looked at Korra. 

“Adira. My name is Adira.” 

“Good. And what is mine?” 

“Duron,” Korra answered. 

“Alright, she’s got it. Let’s get out I need to stretch my legs,” Noatak said, already opening the door. 

The trio was dressed in Earth Kingdom garments to blend in. Korra trailed behind the two men, who made a beeline towards the market. Zaheer handed Korra some money to go and buy fruits as well as some new clothes while he and Noatak grabbed some meat. Although she had been alone before, she was now alone in a strange city. Excitement filled Korra and she ran to the fruit stalls, quickly buying the best fruits, stuffed them in a bag, and ran towards the clothing store. A little bell rang to announce her presence. 

Two women and a man were in the store, the employees. They were chatting until Korra entered, then one of the women broke out of the group to help Korra. 

“What were you guys talking about?” she asked, running her hand down the seam of a beautiful emerald green dress that she knew she would never need. 

“The next pro bending match! I assume you are going to see the finals in Republic City?” The woman, in her early twenties a sparkle in her green eyes, reflected on the white and green robe she had on. 

Korra pursed her lips before fully turning and looking at the woman. “You got that just because I’m in this town?” 

She chuckled. “Most people that come through here are headed to the City. I just guessed that you’re visiting the stadium cause the bending finals are this weekend.” 

Korra’s interest had been piqued. “Who do you think is gonna win this year?” 

“Oh, the Wolfbats for sure. They won last year in like...twenty seconds. They’re  _ amazing _ .” The girl began to blush so she switched the conversation. "Who do you think will win?"

“Anyone but the Wolfbats,” she teased. The girl scrunched up her face but shook it off, continuing to show Korra some outfits. The water tribe girl left the shop with a bag full of clothes, not only for herself but also for Zaheer. 

The trio met back up at the Satomobil. 

“You’re very cheery,” Noatak noted about Korra. She rolled her eyes and faced Zaheer. 

“Have you heard about probending?” she asked, trying to sound innocent and not like she was bouncing up and down with excitement in her mind. 

He narrowed his eyes and set the bag in the back seat. “I have.” 

He didn’t say anything more, prompting Korra to fill the silence. “We are already going to Republic city. I say we go to the stadium and see what this thing is!” 

Zaheer said nothing about it. He just asked her what fruits and clothes she bought before grabbing an apple, beginning to munch on it. Korra’s hopes were shining dimmer as she got into the back seat. The trio made good time, coming to another town, the last one before the City. They did not stay at a hotel; apparently Noatak of all people had sympathizers already and they stayed at one of their houses for the night. Korra overheard an interesting conversation as she tried to sleep. 

“Korra had a good idea today,” Noatak said to their host (a disgruntled older woman with a bad back, white hair, and flabby skin). 

“She mentioned the Probending Tournament. Perhaps that is the best place for us to strike first.”

“Gah,” the old woman waved her hand. “There’s not enough of us yet. I’ve tried, Amon. I have. But you’ll have to do more recruiting in the city. It’s your face they want to see, not one like mine.” 

They lowered their voices; Korra imagined Noatak was trying to comfort the woman. Then they got back to normal. 

“Perhaps you are right. But I will begin making full-scale plans for our introduction when we are finally strong enough.” 

The woman said nothing, though she grunted as she began to shuffle out of the room, probably to the kitchen. Korra pretended to be asleep as the woman passed her door. When she passed, Korra did not move, but her mind did not rest until unconsciousness unknowingly snuck up on her. The morning dawned. At breakfast, the trio and the old woman sat at the table, chatting and munching when Noatak cleared his throat quite loudly. 

“I say we treat Korra to the Probending match.” 

Zaheer’s fork stopped mid way to his mouth. 

“Think about it. She already knows two of the four styles of bending. She isn’t the most traditional in her ways, but probending, what I’ve heard- it’s a completely different method. I think she could learn from it. You are on this journey for her to learn, correct?” A smug smile spread on his lips as he took a bit of his ostrich-horse eggs. 

Zaheer finally took his bite of food and gulped. “We will go.” 

He side eyed Korra, who barely kept the smile off her face. She nodded thanks and continued eating. 

They left just after dawn and got to the city near sunset, though that didn’t stop the city life. As the sun went down, lamps, both electrical and fire powered, lit up the streets, shops, and apartments. Although Korra would have loved to wander the streets, see what kind of figures were lurking in the shadows, Zaheer and Noatak steered her into the apartment they would share until the end of the week; after the Probending tournament, Zaheer and Korra would finally begin their journey. Nothing noteworthy happened that evening, nor the next day. However, on their third day in the city, Noatak took Korra with him on one of his ‘secret missions’. 

“What do you see in this city, Adria?” he asked. Korra looked around. They were in a park. Green shrubs dotted the pathway, a bridge rose over a small creek which had fish jumping out of the not so clear water. People lounged in the grassy areas on blankets; a statue of Avatar Aang rose above the crowds on a white pedestal. 

“People, water, stones.” 

“What is here that you aren’t supposed to see?” 

Korra took another look around the place. This time, she saw sewage ports, she saw service doors at the base of the statue, she saw rags in the bushes; someone’s shirt. Pieces of trash littered the ground. Among the pedestrians, service workers walked around, invisible. Darting between some of the couples with fancier clothing were thieves. 

Noatak watched Korra’s face transform from captivated to disgusted, though only someone close to her could tell even those emotions from her practically blank expression. 

“You see it now, don’t you?” He clasped his hands behind his back and strode towards the less desirable parts of town. In the street, a group of children whispered. Every so often, one or two would step in front of a passerby as a third went behind their victim and stole money or other valuables from their pockets. Noatak passed through the throng quickly, stepping down an alleyway, pushing open the fourth door on their left. It led down a flight of stairs into what seemed like a boiler room. 

“People live divided here,” he began, though Korra saw no one in the large room. “Benders have always been held in a higher light than non benders. If I didn’t know Zaheer’s plan for you, I would have tak--I would have asked to take you down a different path than what you are treading on now. But, I do admire your skills. You’re tenacious, tough, ambitious. Yet you are compassionate, and that is why I am showing you this.” 

He pushed open a set of double doors into another world. Hundreds, possibly thousands of homeless people sat in tents or milled about under the ground. People passed out food and water, blankets and other provisions. Some people left through other secret passageways, some were entering. Korra had never been in need and couldn't really comprehend what was before her eyes. 

“These people have been cast out of society. Yes, some are benders. Unfortunately, most of them that are down here are running away from the law. Most of the others, non benders, are here because they lost their jobs to Benders, or their home was destroyed by a Bender, or... you think of it, someone here has a story to back it. Down here, though, there is one thing not found in the world upstairs: equality. Zaheer wishes to bring equality, yes, but not for years. ‘The timing isn’t right’, he keeps claiming. I say that’s saber-tooth moose lion dung. We can still enact change now.” 

Korra tried not to stare at the people milling about. Her heart began to burn, burn with compassion. Burn with revenge. There was a tiny voice saying there was hope without violence; why that voice said that when there had been no mention of violence by Noatak, she had no idea. But the louder voice screamed for justice. 

“What’s your plan, Amon?” 

“My plan does not involve you at this time, Adria,” he said, his voice deep, fervent. “I just needed for you to see. I’ll take you back to Zaheer. Tomorrow night is the tournament. You should watch it, enjoy it, and learn from it.” 

Korra couldn't believe he would show her all this and not want her to do anything. Yet, she was troubled. Noatak said Zaheer had a plan. She knew he had a plan, but it was just then that she realized she had no idea what that plan was. All the training and meditative sessions she had ever done: every one of them was to teach her something. She had become level headed (for the most part) but always told to feel her emotions, let them encompass her, except for when she was told explicitly otherwise by a Lotus member. If she went against what they said, it would either be met with a 'teachable moment' or a severe lesson. She knew that right now, she would be told to work out and then meditate, figure out why she felt the way she did, then have someone ask her what was wrong. That wasn’t going to happen; Noatak just watched as she tried to flesh out all these thoughts at once. That same small voice spoke up, telling her to not give into the future already, even when-no- _especially when_ she didn’t know what it was. Korra told that voice to shut up. She trusted Zaheer; he had always been truthful with her. Whatever plan he had for her was also the best plan for the world. She didn’t have to know what the future was, all she had to do was embrace it. However, she did not have to embrace the world as it was right then and there. 

“How can I help these people now?” 

“There has been a schism ever since bending was given to the first humans. If we take away people’s bending, there will be chaos. And in that chaos, freedom will arise. Zaheer believes in my work even if he doesn’t want to admit I am right. But he will see. He will see.” 

“You didn’t answer my question…” Korra stated. 

“Oh.” Noatak fidgeted with the hem on the back of his shirt. “Remember this feeling you have. Keep it strong and let it grow. And,” he added, “if you see someone grumbling how unfair something is, send them my way.” 

“Allllrighty folks, welcome to the Probending Stadium! Tonight we are showing the Final contestants. Who will win the prize?” 

The announcer sat in his box overlooking the freestanding stage. Thousands of people clamored into their seats as the announcer began to list off who would be fighting. 

“We already have our semi-finalists, but you’ve got to wait to see them! Every Pro-bender has worked hard on their art so let's give a warm welcome to the Fire Ferrets and the Womp Rats!” 

Many cheered, some groaned. Korra sat on the edge of her seat regardless. She tried to get a good read on the players: the Womp Rats were large and bulky; thick meaty arms and legs like tree trunks. Their heads, even with helmets on, seemed too small for their shoulders. The Fire Ferrets, though, were the exact opposite; they looked like twigs. They were much smaller, too. 

The round started. Immediately, the firebender on the Fire Ferrets was knocked off the platform by the Womp Rat’s waterbender. WR’s earthbender went toe to toe with the earthbender from the Fire ferrets. They both seemed to be able to hold their own against each other, until the Fire Ferret used a disc to hit the WR’s earthbender’s shin. He sent a second disc into the opposing Earthbender’s stomach, and she flew off the edge of the platform. They were two-two now. Water and Earth on the Ferret’s side versus Fire and water on the Rat’s side. The Ferret’s struck first, water meeting earth. The earthbender went agaisnt the Rat’s waterbender. The earthbender went flying off the platform when the Rat’s waterbender had taken the disc thrown at him and returned it into the earthbender’s stomach. 

The Fire Ferret’s last hope was their waterbender. She faced off against the firebender and other waterbender. She was able to defend against both just fine until the duo teamed up and sent a steaming wave her way. She broke it in half but it burned her wrist. The stinging was enough to distract her and she was knocked over the edge by the opposing waterbender. 

“The Womp Rat’s win!” 

Zaheer leaned closer to Korra and whispered in her ear. “Learning anything?” 

She nodded. They both began to watch the next constants, though Zaheer’s eyes roamed pretty much everywhere but the stage. He spoke to Korra once more, right as one of the earth benders made an illegal move.

“We will watch until the final game. After that, I want you to find and speak to some of the winners and some of the losers. I will meet you back in the apartment at one.” 

He fell silent after that, though occasionally cheered so he didn’t completely stand out amongst the actual fans. Korra wanted to get back into the spirit of the night but could not. She kept trying to figure out Zaheer’s line of sight, trying to find what or who caused him to immediately go into ‘stealth’ mode. However, as the time for the actual championship round approached, Korra found her mind letting go of the possible danger. 

“Now, the fight you’ve all been waiting for!” The announcer’s voice boomed and cheers rubles through the stadium. “The Wolf Bats versus the Ember Island Eel Hounds!” The stadium erupted with cheers and boos as the teams set up. Within the first fifteen seconds, the Wolf bats had pushed the Eels into their second territory. The Eels pushed back with vigor, pushing the Bats back into the center territory. Time ran out; they tied the first round. The Bats won the second round, the Eels won the third round. The center of the field rose up. The waterbender from the Wolf bats jumped up, Tahno, against the Eel’s own waterbender; apparently a rare matchup. Unfortunately for the Eels, Tahno wiped the floor with their waterbender (using a slightly illegal move involving ice). Yet, the Wolf Bats won. 

As the stadium erupted into cheers (and boos, naturally), Korra watched Zaheer get up. She immediately followed but lost him in the emerging crowds. She ended up getting jostled and lost among the tall adults and wound up in one of the training rooms. 

“Hello?” She asked, looking around the dark room. 

“You’re not supposed to be back here,” a young voice said. A boy, fourteen, maybe fifteen; skinny with black hair slicked back with water, one curl prominent on his forehead, came out of a door on Korra’s left. 

“I’m sorry, I got jostled by the crowd.” Korra said, gesturing to the still swinging door as people bumped into it. 

“No worries. If anyone asks why you’re here I’ll just say I invited you!” He smiled for a second. “Well, then they might kick both of us out but…” he scratched the back of his head, looking at the floor. Korra chuckled. 

“Who are you?” 

“Who am I?” he asked, faking hurt feelings. “I am the legendary Bolin, hero for the Fire ferrets!” 

“Oh!” It finally clicked for Korra. As Bolin finished a sweeping bow, he asked her what her name was. 

“I’m Adria,” she said, the name sticking to her throat. 

“Well, it’s nice to meet you Adria, but I have to find my brother and get out of here.” 

“Why?” She asked, unmoving. 

“Oh, um,” his ears turned pink and his eyes were cast down. “The tournament is over, we can’t stay here until next season starts. Well, if we get hired to the team again.” 

Korra finally got a good look at him as a door opened, letting some light in. 

“I’ve seen you before...You live in the Underground city, don’t you?” 

Bolin’s eyes went wide. “Do you live down there too?” 

Korra shook her head, and his excitement again turned to embarrassment. He began to say an apology and Korra cut him off. “Wait, if you’re a Pro bender, why are you living down there?” 

He sighed. “My brother, Mako, and I are orphans. We win enough fights to keep us on the team but the places we can afford on the money they give us don’t keep us in a good part of town. At least down there, you get to live in a good community...most of the time. Mako and I tried to get jobs before but the only people that are hiring kids like us are the gangs. Neither of us want to go back to that. Uh wow, I just told you my life’s story I am so…” 

“If you say sorry I don’t care if you’re a pro bender I will beat you up.” 

“You said you’re going to beat up my brother?” another male voice came out of the doorway to Korra’s left. 

“Wait, no, Mako, she was just joking. You were just joking, right?” Bolin leaned over to Korra, who had turned around to stand next to Bolin and face the newcomer. 

“Yes, just joking.” 

“Bolin, we have to go.” 

Bolin looked at Korra apologetically. Korra couldn’t just let him leave. 

“Could I come with you? I’d love to learn more about Pro bending.” 

“Sure!” Bolin said. 

“Why not ask the winners?” Mako replied at the same time. The brothers exchanged a look only two siblings can share. Korra, an only child, was utterly confused as these two seemed to carry an entire conversation in just a few eyebrow raises. 

“If you don’t learn from your mistakes what’s the point in trying again?” Korra busted out. The brothers looked at her, surprised. 

“Fair point,” Mako grumbled. Bolin beamed with pride. 

“It’s settled then, we are all going for a night on the town!” 

“Pro bending is about agility. It’s not artwork, it’s not about defending your life or building something. It’s about who’s the fastest and smartest.” Bolin tapped his temple then took a large bite of sea prune soup. 

“And we arent either of those things,” Mako grumbled before taking a long sip from his glass. 

“How did you start as Pro benders?” 

The brothers exchanged another sibling only look. 

“We got into a fight with our last...employers...a bystander saw us and decided to give us a chance.” 

“So you’ve won some fights. What’s different about those versus ones you lose?” 

“Are you a reporter or something?” Mako snapped. 

“What? No!” 

“Then what are you? Because no one without special intentions, wether good or bad, would want to talk to us! Did Shady Shin send you?” He climbed across the table, waving a finger in Korra’s face. Unfortunately for him, she had been taught to deal with this. If he had actually laid a finger on him, she would have broken his hand. However, Bolin grabbed the back of Mako’s shirt and forced him back into his seat. Korra let her face finally express (fake) offense. 

“You think someone by the likes of Shady shin would send me to...talk to you? Actually try to get to know you? Are all losers this sore?”

She stood up and made way to leave. Bolin followed her out. 

“Please, my brother-’ 

“Your brother is a piece of  _ work _ .” 

Bolin just shifted his feet in the dirt. Korra put her hand on his shoulder. “When you get...home...you might meet a man named Amon. Tell him you know me. I’m not sure what will happen, but maybe he can help you two.” 

“Thanks, Adria.” 

Through the rest of the night, Korra met with different pro bending teams. Some had won, some had lost. Some that had won, won fair and square. Others, that was not a true statement. Those that lost, some were good spirited still, some were like Mako. However, there was one group she was determined to meet with. 

Wandering down the torch lit street she kicked some rocks with her good foot. She purposefully didn’t look up as she approached a throng of people and sure enough, ran into someone. Tahno, the cheating waterbender. 

“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” he asked, the words oozing off his lips. “You wanting a little bit of the Probending winner, darling?” 

“No. But I do want to commend you on winning the tournament. I liked that fancy move with the ice.” 

Tahno’s eyes narrowed at her mention of the ice. A thin grin spread over his face, though. “You gotta do what you gotta do in order to come out on top.” 

“I suppose so…” 

They faced off in a staring contest until one of Tahno’s buddy’s grabbed him. 

“I’ll see you around,” Tahno said over his shoulder as his party walked towards a diner. 

Korra shook her head, disgusted. She got back to the apartment just as the clock struck 1 in the morning. Zaheer was still awake, sitting on the couch, waiting for her. She climbed onto the couch next to him and folded her legs up. 

“If we cheat yet still win, is that really a victory?” She asked, staring at the painting of fruits in a basket on the wall in front of them.

“If it is in a real fight and you come out alive, yes. In a real fight there are no rules, the only objective is to survive.” 

“But that’s not giving the others a fair chance. In a match like Probending, of course.” 

Zaheer leaned back, crossing his arms. “Noatak got to you, didn’t he? Preaching about equality.” 

Korra wanted to shake her head no but found it bobbing up and down in affirmation. 

Zaheer pushed himself off the couch. “One of the main philosophies of the Airbenders was freedom. Although I urge you to remember the teachings you’ve received all your life, you still have the choice to throw that away in favor of Noatak’s...beliefs.”

He went into his bedroom and shut the door, leaving Korra in the living room feeling guilty for even thinking anything other that what she had been taught all her life. 

“Freedom does not come from equality, equality comes from freedom,” she whispered to herself. 

“Freedom does not come from equality, equality comes from freedom.”


	8. Silent as A Breeze

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra begins her side quest with Zaheer about gaining Airbending knowledge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was gonna say I don't stay entirely true to cannon in this chapter but you're on a fanfiction site so I really don't have anything more to say about that. Enjoy!

“This place is...familiar...to me,” Korra commented, brushing her fingers along one of the rocks surrounding a stone table in the corner of a dense forest. 

“It’s possible one of your past lives visited this place. Most likely an Air Nomad,” Zaheer said, he too marveling at the sight before him. He had only seen its ruins in the spirit world. It wasn’t in much better shape in the real world, however, there was something striking about the energy around the place. He walked around the entire ring, which was surrounded by thirteen stones, all about twenty-five feet in height, before sitting at one end of the stone table, crisscrossed. Korra stopped wandering halfway and sat opposite Zaheer, also with her legs crossed. 

“I want you to open your mind, but do not enter the spirit world. I want you to wander the line between the material and spiritual. Feel all the energies around you. If I am correct, there is something hidden here. Perhaps tangible to us in this state, perhaps only tangible while in the spirit world. I want you to find it.” 

Korra nodded and closed her eyes. She placed her fists together in front of her stomach. Taking a deep breath, she allowed herself to be surrendered to the cosmic energy around her, neither here nor there. She was able to feel around her many things. There were dark spirits lurking beneath this place, just waiting to be released by moving the table before her. There were hints of air nomads of centuries past, their fingerprints touching the stones. Incense long burned filled Korra’s nostrils. It began to move away from her. Korra felt herself stand up, but it was not with her physical legs. She wandered after the scent, chasing the incense down. With fuzzy eyes, she saw a vast meadow illuminated by the strong summer sun. A slight breeze caused the grass to shift under the nomads that floated lazily in the air, supported by small clouds. 

Time shifted. It was dusk, the grass stopped moving; there were no more nomads in the sky. They sat on the ground in the same position as Korra, fists together, resting against their stomachs. Their eyes were closed. They sat in circles, thirteen at the innermost, more and more as they expanded outwards. One of the elders stood up from the inner circle and took a scroll out of his sleeve. The other elders in the inner circle did the same. Then the next circle repeated the process, the eldest beginning in the circle, circling back to the youngest. The seventh circle stood and the Elder spoke. 

“These papers reached us when we needed them most. Now, it is time for the next generation to be blessed as we have been.” 

With his left hand, the Elder made a circular motion, the forming of a wind tunnel. He allowed the scroll from his right hand to be taken into the air by the tornado. The elder next to him did the same thing. Repeat, repeat, until the entire gathering of Air Nomads were directing their individual whirlwinds into one large cyclone. Every single piece of paper was inhaled by the tornado. Up up up they went until they reached the stratosphere. The Elder raised his right hand as one last push of wind (everyone followed the same movement). The scrolls were gone, and silence filled the still air once more. 

“Woah,” Korra gasped. The breath was knocked out of her as she felt a tugging sensation overcome her. The scrolls were meant to fall out of the sky at high speeds so only an Airbender would be able to stop and grab them while they were still falling. Many of the scrolls found homes, however, some weren’t given enough direction to find new owners and ended up forgotten in ditches; trees reclaimed the pieces as their own flesh; Wan-Shi Tong’s wolves found and brought them to their Owl. 

Zaheer watched Korra snap her eyes open. 

“You found one?” 

She said nothing, immediately getting to her feet and sprinting to a nearby tree. This one seemed like all the other trees in the forest: green leaves, medium height, etc. What you would find in a tree. Korra felt otherwise. She ran her hand along the bark, feeling all the moisture in the plant. There was one spot about forty feet up that did not have the same water pathway as the rest of the tree. She concentrated, taking a step back. Her hands as claws, in the air she swiped left and right, ripping away the bark of the tree telekinetically, separating the fibers from the precious, life giving liquid inside. 

The plant split into a million little fragments, allowing the one piece that never belonged to fall to the ground. Korra walked over and picked up the scroll, unrolling it. She frowned, turning around to look at Zaheer. 

“It’s still blank.” 

“It has to be opened with airbending,” he said, gingerly taking the ancient piece from Korra’s hands. She looked at it, then at her own hands. She felt Zaheer’s eyes on her and she met them. 

“I can’t open it yet.” 

He shook his head, rolling the scroll back up and setting it in his knapsack. “No. It is not time for you to learn airbending yet. However, you are already learning one of the oldest and rarest forms of bending, if what I observed is what I believe it to be.” 

Korra raised an eyebrow. “Really?” 

He nodded. “Energybending is quite a feat. Although it has been used to give and take away bending, it also encompasses the ability to push aside the physical and spiritual. It is how avatars receive their ability to control their powers, after breaking through each of their Chakras: Cosmic energy is bent into you, giving balance.” 

“You said take and give bending?” Korra flexed her fingers. “I can do that?” 

“You’ve done it before.” 

There was a bitterness to his words that he instantly regretted. However, thankfully, Korra did not seem to notice. She did, but her lesson with Koh allowed her to remain impassive.

“Then I’ll learn it again. All of it.” 

“That, you will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes It was a short chapter. But if you need context for Zaheer's bitterness, check out chapter 2


	9. Moonwalk? Nah, Something Much Cooler

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra takes a trip down not so memorable memory lane

“I have a feeling you know this place quite well,” Zaheer said as he and Korra stepped off the local ferry from the mainland. Korra looked around the beach. 

“I...don’t. It’s completely new for me.” 

“Hm.” Zaheer began walking down the sandy strip along the water, away from all the people. Korra followed. She had specific instruction from one of her other earthbending teachers that she still had to follow. Once she and Zaheer were secluded, she rolled up her pants leg, revealing her stone foot. She let the rocks fall off in a heap. With her good foot she stood up and approached the damp sand where water just washed away. She curled her right arm up, with the motion she gathered sand to her left knee, to which the sand attached. Korra made sure to have the right amount of sand gathered before forming a hard and fast fist with her right hand; the motion caused the sand to harden (she both froze the water in the sand particles and squished the sand together, making it into a uniform rock). 

She stood on it tentatively and walked around before sitting back down and re rolling her pants over the prosthetic, slightly disappointed no one would be able to see her awesome new leg.

“Is this island supposed to help me with my airbending search or my earthbending training?” Korra asked, joining Zaheer on the rocky path towards the town. 

“Neither. This is a test of your non bending combative skills. Though, if you are able to connect with one of your past lives while here, it is possible your earthbending will reach a new level.” 

Although she had been elated to try sparring with non-benders, several thoughts crossed her mind. If she did get chi blocked, she would lose her leg, and everyone would know she’s actually a bender. Two, she hadn’t been able to connect with any of her past lives on purpose. 

“Duron,” she said, the name feeling alien on her lips, “do these people know I am a bender?” 

He shook his head. She nodded, biting her lip. 

“I’ll use my metal prosthetic then.” 

Zaheer nodded in affirmation. He was glad she had figured that out on her own, rather than him warning her. He watched the horizon as the sun began to set (they had takeen one of the last ferry rides of the day) as Korra slipped an older metal prosthetic leg out of her travel bag. She stood up, wobbly; unused to the stark weight difference. However, she caught her balance and the duo proceeded into the village. 

Children ran through the streets, laughing. Older folk chatted around tables at the tiny restaurants. A statue of the Avatar Kyoshi stood tall and proud, illuminated by torches and the fading light of day, watching the inhabitants of the island of her namesake. Korra and Zaheer wandered through the small crowd: the island had become known for its delectable and rare Unagi meat. On their way to an inn, Korra saw pamphlets for chi-blocking classes. 

“Beginners welcome! Two silver pieces for a three day trial!” The front page read. 

“I doubt they even show a proper hook,” Zaheer muttered. “From what I’ve heard,” he lowered his voice, “the true warriors train before dawn, away from the crowds. I want you to find the building tonight. I will stay in town.” he didn’t elaborate. 

Korra nodded, turning away quickly. He hadn’t given her any parameters when she should return, where to go. Nothing. A slight dread filled her, however, she didn't look back, slipping away from the crowds as the sun finally dipped below the horizon. 

She walked down an old beaten path from the newest part of the island to where the locals lived. The houses were huts, the streets were paths covered in dust, not stones. The place was much darker and older, though it didn’t look dingy, just….tired. Like the buildings themselves wanted to rest and close up shop. Korra walked through town until she saw one person sweeping inside a building, then she scurried to the outskirts of town, trying to blend in with the trees. She eventually found a path which she followed deeper into the woods. It became a fork in the road, though most wouldn’t see there were two paths; one was covered up with leaves and branches while the other was lit at the far end. Korra had the gut feeling the training facility was the dark path, as no one would be there and wouldn’t want to alert others to its presence. She walked down the dark path and saw a hut nestled in between some trees, cleverly camouflaged. She tried to be as quiet as she could with a metal leg; she was just grateful there was no one that was posted to attack visitors. She slid open the door and saw padded flooring. There were chests around the perimeter of the room, each with a torch, unlit, above it. That was all the confirmation she needed. However, she also knew there was another task Zaheer assigned to her and she felt that whatever was on the end of the twin path would help her fulfill that task. 

The twin path led Korra to another building, this one lit. however, it was a soft light; from candles, not torches. Korra pushed open the door of the tiny building, her fist cocked back just in case someone decided to put up a fight. The door swung open to a mostly empty room. Korra stepped in, closing the door behind. 

On the far wall was a mural, to her left a set of fans, to her right, an outfit. Behind her was a small shrine where the candles burned low. 

Korra walked over to the articles of clothing (the boots were the largest she had ever seen), and ran a hand over the fabric of the dress. She turned her head to the left, towards the back wall. She left the clothes and began to study the mural. 

“It’s the creation of the island!” Korra muttered to herself. The wind began to rush through the trees outside, causing the door to blow open. Korra immediately put her fist up, then signed when she realized no one was there. Until she felt a tap on her shoulder. 

Avatar Kyoshi in all her glory towered over Korra. 

“Avatar.” She stated. “You’ve been busy.” 

Korra blinked at the apparition. 

“How?” was all she could manage to spit out. 

“This is the day we split this island from the mainland. Your previous lifetime also contacted me on this day. Until now, you have been closed off from your previous lifetimes. Why do you choose to open yourself up to them now?” 

Korra would have been agape at this figure if not for her previous encounter with Koh. She gulped and watched this apparition sit cross-legged in front of her, so Korra joined her previous life on the floor. 

“And remember, you cannot hide anything from me, for I am within you even now,” Kyoshi warned. 

“I wish to learn a rare earthbending technique. Also energybending. And I have an idea of how to use lightning when I learn it, to somehow combine earthbending sand and lightning to create a...glass leg. Maybe I wouldn’t have to keep bending my leg on then.” The words poured out of Korra’s mouth. They were the truth, but they weren’t all of it. She wanted to know the entire plan for her. She knew she was supposed to bring balance. But she didn’t know how anymore. Maybe by helping Amon. Maybe by helping Unalaq and the spirits. She knew Vaatu had even more of an idea of her future than she did, and he was stuck in a ball in a tree. 

“I was born into a cult as well, but I did not face the same trials as you, though neither of us knew what our futures held.” Kyoshi studied her newest incarnation. “I have learned much through my newest lives, and i have learned much in the great beyond. You are going to face more in the next few years than what most Avatars face in their lifetimes. Although I am not your Avatar guide, I can teach you to take a different perspective of the world.” Kyoshi stood up. “Follow me.” 

She led Korra to the center of the island where a patch of white jade flowers grew. Her astral form cast a soft blue light across the flowers and surrounding dirt. Korra followed closely behind, her metal prosthetic leg stamping a heavy imprint on the soft earth. 

Kyoshi stopped at the edge of the patch of flowers. “There is a difficult technique of earthbending called Dust-stepping.” As she spoke, she began to step on what appeared to be thin air. She walked up a few steps, then back down. “You bend dust into micro platforms from the ground to your feet. Though perhaps you’ll have an advantage I didn’t have.” She nodded towards Korra’s prosthetic. “Take that off. You normally use bending as a substitute for your leg, correct?” 

Korra nodded as she took off the metal leg. 

“Bend the earth as you would for your leg. Then imagine making your leg skinnier, taller. Balance on that pole.” 

Korra did just that. She gathered dirt for her leg to match her regular height, then began to slowly stretch it thinner. 

“Good. Now take a step with your other foot, taking the smallest sliver of dirt from your leg and transferring it to the bottom of your foot, connecting that sliver to the ground beneath you.” 

She wobbled as a fraction of her leg was taken out and placed underneath her foot. She imagined it as a tiny line of dust anchored to the ground. It was the first step. 

“Good! Balance on that foot while you let go of the platform on your leg and step forward, taking root at that next step.” 

Korra let her leg detach from the ground and made the next step/leg taller. She broke off the anchor from her foot and took some dirt from her leg and made another platform for her foot. And another and another and another. Finally, she towered over Kyoshi. Her foot appeared to be standing on thin air while her leg seemed like a tree trunk reaching from the earth to her body. 

“As you get the hang of it, you won’t need such a large platform from the ground to your thigh,” Kyoshi said as Korra returned to her normal height. “I say having that empty space is advantageous because you may be stuck somewhere there is no earth readily available. At least then you will be able to escape using this method with nothing but your leg and some space.” 

Although this method was awesome, Korra immediately began to think of other ways she could use this method. Obviously with water, jumping from stream to stream. But maybe she could use rain droplets? Create platforms hovering in the air! She wasn’t sure about using airbending, but firebending? Could she throw a flame and jump on it? The possibilities were too enticing to ignore. However, they were not something she could practice at that moment and she didn’t think Kyoshi would stick around much longer. 

“Thank you, Avatar Kyoshi.” She bowed. “This is the first time I have been asked to contact one of my past lives. You have assisted me more than you know.” 

“Those that are training you are making you strong, yes. They are doing it for the betterment of the world, so they think. When you hear the voice of Avatar’s past, do not ignore them. You are not made to incite chaos but to maintain order and peace. You do what you must. However, dark forces are stirring, because of you. You are being shown that chaos is the answer. If you continue down that path and eventually believe it, the Light of the Avatar will diminish and possibly vanish. The world may finally be in chaos, but that is the exact thing the Avatar is supposed to avoid bringing. If this feels against your nature, it is. You have the power to stop it.” 

Korra listened to her words but they sounded like ostrich horse dung to her, even though in the back of her mind a voice told her that her past life was correct. 

“You are right. I have the power to stop it, stop this. I also have the power to stop freedom or to bring it. Chaos brings the ultimate freedom. I will do whatever it takes to make that happen. Goodbye, Avatar Kyoshi.” 

She waved her hand and the projection of her past life faded away, leaving only moonlight to guide Korra back her prosthetic leg, back through the old town to the inn Zaheer booked for them. He woke up when she cracked open the door of the room. 

“Did you complete your tasks?” 

She nodded and took off her metal prosthetic leg, setting it on the chair next to the couch. 

“Good. Tomorrow I will leave for the docks just after daybreak. You’ll be able to get a few hours rest before your training this morning.” Before he walked back into his room, he rested his hand on Korra’s shoulder. “I’m proud of you.” Then he closed his door. Korra wondered if that meant he had been watching her with Kyoshi. Perhaps he had been, but what did it matter? He was proud of her and she was proud of herself. She would continue to make herself and her mentor proud. She fell asleep with a smile on her face for the second time in two days. She hoped that would continue. It felt like a nice tradition starting. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I cannot wait to stop her nice tradition because I am a writer and a wee bit evil.  
> Hope Yall enjoyed this chapter! And please write comments, I love to hear feedback and know that people are actually reading my stuff :)


	10. Warriors of Kyoshi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra meets the Warriors of Kyoshi and another character we already know.

Korra bolted up in her bed and looked towards the window. It wasn’t light out yet. She let out a soft sigh before swinging her leg over the side of the bed, grabbing her prosthetic at the same time. She slipped it on and winced at the CLANG of the metal foot hitting the floor even through her shoes. However, she got dressed and slipped out of the inn quickly, still under the cover of darkness. She jogged to the old village, down to the same path she had visited a few hours ago. Immediately she regretted not grabbing something to eat. But she kept going forward and sure enough, the path that had been camouflaged and dark-ended during the night was now newly covered, with light streaming from the building at the end. 

She approached cautiously, as quietly as she could. These warriors were still talked about, at least in Korra’s circles. Benders still feared true chi-blockers, and these women were no joke. Somehow, she got to the door without anyone attacking her, but she couldn’t even get her hand up to knock when a figure dropped out of the tree above her onto her shoulders. She threw the person to the left, off her shoulders, but her figure recovered. Her face covered in warrior’s paint, the armor-clad figure pulled dual fans out of the waist belt. 

“Who are you and why did you find this place?” The woman asked, loudly, surely letting her companions inside the building know there was an intruder. 

Korra heard the other Kyoshi warriors climbing the trees above and around her. She studied the one in front of her, fans spread, body still but not tense. The woman’s breathing was steady for the most part. This was one of the more experienced women, someone that didn’t need the lessons most of the others needed; she could hear the younger girls laboring their breathing, their hands as they shook with adrenaline, rattling the leaves above. 

“My name is Adria and I have come to train with the true masters of combat.”

“We do not train outsiders in our true ways,” the woman stated, not wavering in her stance. Korra looked around her; although the green in their dresses helped cover them within the leaves of the trees shrouded by darkness, with the sun beginning to rise, their disguise was fading. 

“I do not wish to take your art and then re brand it as my own. I wish to learn not only physical combat but spiritual combat as well.” 

The other warriors dropped from the trees, encasing Korra in a circle. The eldest dropped her fans and closed them up. Korra dropped her fist. 

“If you found us, then you may be worthy of our lessons. Enter.” 

Korra entered the dojo, feeling alienated being the only one not in warrior’s garb, which had not changed much even since Avatar Kyoshi’s time. She was practically herded into the center of the floor to be studied by the rest of the women. 

“Who taught you your tracking skills?” “Why did you seek us out, not any of the newer fighters out there?” “Where did you come from, where are you going?” “Who do you serve?” 

Korra allowed herself a moment before she answered the questions in the order she heard them. 

“My father taught me my tracking skills, I sought you out because of the stories I heard in my village growing up. I came from the earth kingdom, by the sea and I am traveling to the fire nation for studies in the arts. I serve no one!”

She tried to make everything sound as calm as possible, but with enough emotion to make it sound truthful. Most of the women seemed satisfied, however, one girl scoffed in the back. Korra immediately turned around to see who the noise issued from. A girl not much older than Korra herself, though nearly half a foot taller, stepped through the crowd to confront Korra. 

“If you’re learning about the ‘arts’ why are you learning how to fight? You don’t seem like the sit down and paint type. You had been ready to fight us if we had attacked you, and by your build, I suspect you’d be good at it. So why are you really here?” 

Korra held her head high, making her presence add to her height. “I learned to street fight. Someone caught me and told me I should learn real fighting. From what I’ve heard, this is where you learn to be the best at that.” 

The girl cocked her head to the side, giving a smirk. The others backed away, giving the duo a wide berth. The girl grabbed her fans and entered a fighting stance. 

“Let’s see what you’re made of then, shall we?” 

Korra blocked her opponents’ first blow with her left arm, though her right arm was locked by the girl’s fan. Korra dropped and tried to sweep the girl’s legs from under her, but the girl jumped, using the motion to kick Korra in the head. Korra fell backward and the girl stepped back. 

“The Kyoshi warriors normally try to use their opponent’s weight and movements against themselves. If they punch, pull them forward and trip them up. If they kick, puch the leg up and force them onto their back.” 

Korra got back onto her feet, determined to use this girl’s words against her. She let the girl attack first, trying to not use muscle memory from waterbending to evade her moves. She also tried to not think like an earthbender. She tried to think like a thief that got into a back alley fight. She aimed low. Pushed two jabs right into her opponent’s stomach. She went for the head. Blocked with a fan. Korra grabbed the girl’s wrist with one hand and with her free one, grabbed the fan from it, disarming her halfway. However, she hadn’t expected the girl to execute a perfect roundhouse kick that took the fan out of Korra's grasp, into the air, and back into her hand. She made a show of spreading the fan again. Korra rolled her eyes, but she was impressed. Perhaps she could learn a thing or two from these people. 

The elder lady that had invited Korra in now stepped between the two girls. Immediately, Korra’s opponent folded her fans and put them back in her belt, slipping back into the crowd. 

“You are unorthodox in your fighting style. Scrappy, choppy, exactly like a street fighter. We cannot disprove your statements and therefore, for the time being, take them all to be true. If you are traveling by yourself, we will have you stay with us in the old part of town so other outsiders cannot follow you here.” 

Korra looked around. “My father is here with me, however, he must leave very shortly. I would be honored to stay with you until he returns several weeks from now.” 

The elder lady nodded. 

“Asami, would you please escort…” 

“Adria.” 

“...Adria to her father? She will pack her things then stay with you and the others.” 

Korra looked around to see which one was Asami and immediately pursed her lips. It was the same girl that had challenged her. She kept her mutterings to herself and bowed to the elder lady. 

“Thank you.” 

The lady bowed in return. “Asami will fill you in on all the information you will need.” She turned to Asami. “You will be excused from this lesson. Please leave now and return before the tourists fully wake.” 

Asami bowed to the elder lady and left the dojo. Korra bowed once more and then raced after her new companion. THey headed to one of the original houses. 

“Wait here,” Asami told Korra once they entered the house. Korra nodded and watched Asami run upstairs. Korra peered into the other rooms. To her left, a dining area, large enough to seat twenty people. Straight ahead seemed to be a living room, but she noticed the furniture was bare bones: easy to move out of the way. Korra suspected that the ornate cabinets along the far wall housed pads for the floor. 

Asami appeared beside Korra. 

"Ready?” She didn’t wait for an answer, already heading out the door, leaving Korra to follow in her wake. They took the main road through the old town, through the woods, to the ‘city’ area. The sun broke over the horizon fully just Korra led Asami to the inn she and Zaheer had been staying at. She prayed as she slid the door open that Zaheer wasn’t home. She was rewarded with a silent room. 

“Why did you have to come with me?” Korra asked, heading to her room to grab her already packed bag. 

“You found our hidden house, apparently with nothing more than street smarts and some good information. Where did you get information about us again? Who told you?” 

Asami crossed her arms, taking up the doorway. 

Korra set her bag back down. “Like I said, someone saw me fighting and then told me about this island where the warriors of Kyoshi are. They never gave me their name.” 

“What did they look like, then?”

“Tall, green eyes, brown hair.” 

“That’s anyone in the earth kingdom!” 

“Yeah. You guys aren’t exactly a secret. If you really wanted no one to find you, then you would move your true house to another island so no outsiders would so easily find it.” 

Asami didn’t say anything, so Korra kept going. 

“I think the elders in your group know their time is almost up and are looking for actual recruits. You have too much loyalty to tradition to let your kind die. That is why the elder was so quick at picking me up. Am I wrong?” 

Korra picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder, facing Asami, who crossed her arms, blocking the doorway. 

“I suppose thieves have to be smart to live.” Asami, stepped out of the doorway. “Where is your father? You should say goodbye and have him tell you when he will return.” 

Korra heard the bitterness in the word ‘father’ and ‘return’. She noted that and peeked into Zaheer’s room. It was completely cleaned out. He stayed true to his word, leaving just after daybreak. 

“I’ll check the docks, but he might have already left.” 

“Let’s go.” 

Korra followed Asami to the docks. Whenever Asami looked back to make sure Korra was still following, Korra put on a hopeful face. 

“If you still have your father, why are you a thief?” 

They reached the docks with Zaheer nowhere to be seen. Asami even looked impacted by the hurt Korra expressed. 

“Not everyone has the luxury of true freedom; some have to bring it for themselves,” Korra replied. “Let’s just go.” 

Asami, for once, agreed with Korra, this time not leaving her in the dust. They walked side by side, meandering through the main road. Some locals began to pop their heads out of their shops or restaurants, relief on their faces when they realized these two weren’t trying to bang down their doors for early service. 

“Are you from here?” Korra asked. 

“No, but I’ve lived here the past two years. If you want a good home, this is the place to be.” 

“Why did you come here?” 

Asami clammed up. 

“Sorry,” Korra said, kicking a rock with her metal foot. Although she was wearing shoes, the rock pinged on the metal loudly. Asami’s ear inclined towards the noise before her eyes wandered over to Korra. It happened again a few moments later and Asami stopped walking. 

“I’m sure the others suspected but were too kind to say anything,” Asami spoke, hoping Korra would reveal the truth without force. However, Korra hated passive aggressiveness with every fibre of her being and continued to stare straight ahead. The clanging continued as they continued along a rocky path. Finally Asami stopped. 

“Do you have a metal leg?” 

Korra stopped and took off her left shoe. “Oh, this? Yes, I have a metal leg.” 

She put her show back on and waited for a very different reaction that what she received. 

“Really? How does it work? Is it mechanical or does it just use pins and gravity? Can I see it sometime?” 

This girl changed form stern warrior to full geek in three seconds. Korra couldn’t keep a smile, albeit confused one, off her face, though it did turn to smug after a few seconds, after Asami immediately turned beet red and looked away, saying sorry. 

“It’s fine! No one’s been interested in the leg itself before, they just want to know how I got it.” 

“Ah. I suppose that’s interesting too.” 

Korra chuckled. “I like you.” 

“You might not be so bad yourself.” 

The two teenagers reached the same house Asami had changed in. She led Korra upstairs to one of the bunk rooms; three girls stayed there. One of the beds was empty; that’s where Korrs placed her bag. 

“If you truly are worthy, you will earn to keep your warrior’s garb. It’s too late to join in today’s training so you will begin tomorrow. If you are to stay here, you will need to help us with our chores and jobs. Since I’ve been assigned to you, you’ll help me in the ship’s port.” 

“Lead the way.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok the next few chapters might be slow but I'm thinking of changing the POV to Zaheer and/or Amon as well as P'li, Ghazan, and Ming Hua so we should get some action going (along with the revelation of the true plot(s) muhahahaha)


	11. Zip, Zap, Zop There Goes the Ice Block

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zaheer heads back to Republic City to gain more information about Noatak/Amon.

Zaheer stood on the deck of the rocking boat. He ran a hand through his greying, shoulder-blade-length hair. When a large gust blew, he tied it back and took a deep breath of the surrounding salty air. 

The boat was headed back towards Republic city. The trip would take two days and the captain was hopeful for smooth sailing. There was not a cloud in the sky as Zaheer looked up, almost expecting a flying bison to soar by and snatch him away. He shuddered and blinked. Why that thought crossed his head then, he didn’t know. It had been a long time since he even thought about this past, though...no, that was a lie. He was thinking about it more often, as Korra began to master more of the elements. Once she knew chi-blocking, in secret, of course- that’s why he wanted her to master non-bending combat with the Kyoshi warriors- she could face her final test with Ghazan and the Red lotus sandbenders, earthbenders, and metalbenders. After that, she could begin firebending. Unfortunately, not with P’li. That was something he wished he could talk with her about-both were disappointed, but she had other matters to attend to. 

At the moment, P’li was galavanting around the firenation and its colonies trying to help those that get caught up in...group activities against their will. She was discrete, she had her own team with her, but Zaheer still prayed that she would be careful. He couldn’t risk losing her when their plan was finally nearing the beginning. 

It was because of P’li and her group that Noatak was able to wiggle his way out of the Red Lotus compound and go to Republic City. He was slippery that one and was possibly the best waterbender in the world; there were several tricks that Zaheer suspected Noatak shared with no one. That was why he was traveling back to Republic City, to spy on Noatak, now under the name Amon; see what he was doing and if he was either betraying the Red lotus or helping their cause. 

But, he could do nothing about it until the next day so he went into his bunk to meditate. 

Upon entering the spirit world, Zaheer exited Xai Bau’s grove, teleporting north, where he assumed Unalaq would be if he had entered the spirit world. He appeared on a mountain to the east of the Tree of Time and basked in the beauty before him. Slowly, he walked down towards the Tree, realizing he was not alone with Vaatu. Unalaq sat cross legged at the base of the tree, having a conversation with the great Dark spirit. Naturally, Zaheer listened in. 

“It’s all going according to plan,” Unalaq proudly confirmed. “Though, unfortunately, slightly slower than I expected. However, that means nothing. The Harmonic Convergence is still four years away. But it is  _ only _ four years away, Vaatu. In four years you will be free of this cage and we will be bonded for eternity!” 

Zaheer had expected treachery from Unalaq, but this nearly surprised him. However,he did not reveal himself and instead teleported back to Xai Bau’s grove and awoke from his meditative state. He stared at the incredibly blank wall in front of him, stroking his beard. 

“Alright, Unalaq. I’ll be waiting for your next slip up.” 

The ship docked the next day at Republic city. As opposed to the other many docks at the port, this one did not lend itself to over enthusiastic family members or friends, rather, business men or fishermen awaiting to hear about the deal struck or the fish caught. Zaheer slipped through the crowd quickly, heading towards the city park. Unlike Korra’s visit there, a man stood on a small stage, yelling at the small crowd forming before him. Zaheer stepped to the edge of the crowd to listen to what the man had to say. 

“For years, Benders have taken advantage of their status and kicked us non-benders under their heels. It’s time we demand equality!” 

“How?” someone in the front row asked. 

The man on stage did not say anything, just bent down and handed the person a flyer. Then he stood up again. “It’s time we break free of this social cage and show them we are just as powerful, we are just as worthy!” 

A cheer erupted. Zaheer slipped to the front of the crowd and grabbed a flyer before walking away from the park towards where he knew there was an entrance to the Underground City. 

“Is Amon down here?” he asked the first person he saw; a young kid with black hair and green eyes. The kid nodded, but his face was grave. 

“Why do you want to see him?” 

“He’s a friend,” Zaheer responded, not liking the vibe he was receiving from the guarded face of this random citizen. He looked around the Underground: there were way more people down here than before, and that had just been a few days ago. He set his jaw and looked at the kid again. “Bring me to him. Now.” 

“I’m sorry, Sir,” the boy said, his tone dipping dangerously low. “I will need your name to ask Amon whether or not he knows you.” 

Zaheer was ready to barge through the kid, but even he knew that if a call went out he wouldn’t be able to fight off everyone in the Underground. 

“Duron, my name is Duron.” 

“Thank you, Sir. If you are allowed entrance, I will return without hostile force.” 

The kid left and took too long for Zaheer’s liking to return, but return he did. 

“Please, follow me.” 

They entered a small room, an office, really, though there wasn’t even a desk, which Zaheer found odd. The kid opened the door and Amon turned from one of the maps on the wall towards the newcomers. 

“Thank you, Bolin, you may go.” Amon dismissed his worker bee and turned to Zaheer, who raised an eyebrow. 

“A mask, really?” 

Amon made sure the door was shut before removing the mask, revealing a hideous ‘burn’ running across his entire face. He had even shaved off one of his eyebrows to achieve the full effect. 

“That’s the reaction I’m looking for,” Noatak said, holding his mask with both hands still. “What’s a better way to get the people on your side by giving them a sob story?” He cleared his throat. “As a child I was attacked by firebeders. They killed my parents but allowed me to live, bearing this mark. That moment led me down a path to forbidden knowledge, which I can now share with you all, in the name of equality.” He choked back fake tears. 

“And this forbidden knowledge is, of course, something you can do with waterbending I suppose.” 

Noatak nodded. “I will not share it with you now. Come to the Rally tonight; there it will be revealed..” He donned his mask once more, taking on the full form of ‘Amon’. He patted Zaheer on the shoulder and left the room. 

Zaheer looked at the flyer in his hand. On the back was a location of a not-so-secret meeting, apparently introducing the infamous Amon. 

“Don’t worry; I’ll be there.” 

Evening fell and Zaheer stuffed the flyer into his back pocket after getting through security (six guys with metal gloves that had some sort of shocking/electrical mechanism on them). A few hundred people were packed in a sub level of a large warehouse, one of which could not hide the fact it was owned by the Sato corporation. 

A stage had been erected on the far wall with four volunteers manning the edges as security, gloves bussing with electricity. Zaheer edged himself towards the middle, already not liking the tension around him. Once the room was nearly filled to the brim, a man stepped onto the stage, approaching the microphone. He tapped it twice, causing a loud screech to silence the audience. 

“We gather here today to not only reveal our leader, the founder of this movement, but we gather to see who the other believers in this cause are. That we are not alone in this fight. And we can now begin to level the playing field, even as ordinary citizens.” He raised his right hand, showing off the same electric glove as the security team. “This weapon stuns anyone on the opposing side of it. As so,” he called one of the four guards on the edges of the stage over. He readied himself, and the speaker smacked the center of the glove against the man, who immediately fell to the floor twitching, stunned. The crowd gasped. Zaheer narrowed his eyes. He still preferred chi-blocking, but this...wasn’t too bad. 

“We will also be teaching Chi-blocking for those that do not want to have...possible evidence. This machinery is powerful, and that means it is dangerous, just as benders are dangerous. More often than not, if we rise up, we will be the ones caught and we will be the ones punished. But if we want to finally get the equality we deserve, we need to stand up and fight!” 

The crowd cheered and pumped their fists as the man began stepping to the side. 

“Now, for the first time, you will meet the man that truly began this movement….Amon!” 

Noatak walked out onto stage covered head to toe, his mask covering every feature of his face, leather gloves protecting his waterbending hands, however, the crowd died down as three figures followed him onto the stage. The speaker handed Amon the microphone and stepped to the side, giving the newcomer the floor. The three figures that had followed Amon stopped just behind him, to the right. One was held very clearly captive, by the other two. 

“Today you will witness the true beginning of this movement. This man is a criminal, yet he has not faced permanent charges because ice  _ melts _ . Just as his water, his weapon, disappeared, so will his bending.” 

The two guards brought the man in front of Amon, who handed his mic back to the original speaker. He waved his hand and the guards let go of their prisoner, who turned and faced Amon’s blank face. Immediately, he grabbed water from some of the pipes and launched it at Amon, who simply dodged the orb. The man pulled more water out of the pipes above, this time turning it to ice. Amon ducked the sickle and punched the dude in the gut. He circled around knocked the knees out from under his opponent. 

“Please, please, no!” 

“You will now be cleansed.” 

Amon placed his right hand on the man’s shoulder, his thumb resting just above the heart. His left hand descended onto the man’s forehead. He removed his hands and the man fell. He waved his arm weakly. The puddle next to him didn’t so much as ripple with the movement of boots stepping by it as the guards picked the heap of a man off the floor. 

The crowd cheered. 

Two days passed before Zaheer could allow himself to be in Noatak’s presence. He was welcomed into Amon’s office this time, however, this time Noatak did not remove his mask. 

“I have a proposal for you,” Zaheer said, measuring his words and tone very carefully. Amon unclasped his hands and held up one finger to Zaheer. He pushed aside one of the maps of the City and pressed a button. A door swung outwards and Amon entered it. Zaheer guessed he should follow. The door shut behind him. Noatak took off his mask and makeup at a dingy bathroom before they surfaced in a back alley. They left the alley for the nearest rooftop. Once they stopped moving, Zaheer continued his proposal. 

“Teach Korra this.” 

Noatak took a deep breath. “I knew you would like my solution.” 

“Very...innovative.” 

“Truth be told, she already harnesses this power, I just use it to a different advantage than anyone else has ever dreamed of.” 

“Bloodbending did this?” 

Noatak nodded. “When it was still my main job of teaching Korra waterbending, she was too young to learn this. Now,” 

“Now, if you take her in front of a crowd of people just like this and ‘gave’ her this ability, it would not only give her power over the younger people of this city, it would cement you as a much more powerful leader.” 

Noatak thought about it. His lips curled in a daydream of where everything played out to his perfection. Then his smile dropped and he narrowed his eyes towards Zaheer. 

“Why the change in heart?” 

Zaheer twiddled his thumbs. “The future I seek is in line with your present actions. I do not want to waste any opportunities.” 

Noatak nodded. “We have to let the word get spread first. It would seem wrong if I did this then immediately gave a ‘stranger’ the same ‘powers’.” 

“That works; Korra is training with the Kyoshi Warriors.” 

“On the Island of Kyoshi?” 

“Yes, why?” 

“One of my largest supporters, Hiroshi Sato, mentioned that island. I suspected it had to do with business but,” 

“No, I believe his daughter is there, also training with the Warriors.” 

“Smart man.” 

“I think Korra will try to bring someone back with her; she wants a friend her age. I’ll stick around here for a few days before heading to find more artifacts. Do you think you could find out the name of his daughter?” 

Noatak nodded. 

“The world is about to change.” 

“No doubt about it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wasn't sure how to end this so it just sorta...stops. Sorry bout that. If y'all want a chapter dedicated to P'li and her adventures in the Firenation, please comment I'll try to squeeze it in. (If there are enough comments I'll make a separate one-shot for it!)


	12. The Smallest Interaction Can Change The Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra goes into training with the Elder Kyoshi warrior on spiritual matters, learns the truth about Unalaq and begins to wonder how Asami will fit into her life, if at all.

Korra slammed three fast jabs into Asami’s ribs. She ducked a right hook from her opponent and fell to the floor, sweeping the leg. Asami jumped the movement and kicked Korra in the face. Korra sprawled back on the ground. Asami offered her hand but Korra pushed herself up too quickly. 

“I would never suggest going for the legs unless your opponent is already unbalanced,” Asami said as Korra dusted herself off. 

“Then you should have gone for the sweep,” Korra said. “I know I should be grateful I even have a mechanical leg but honestly it keeps me so off balance.”

Asami glanced towards Korra’s leg, which was completely covered by the armor, dress, and boots. They parted ways as Asami was called away for her job at the docks. Korra was asked to stay by the elder warrior. 

“Yes?” she asked, returning her fans and breastplate to a chest along the wall. 

“Why are you holding back?” The elder, whose name was Hame, asked in her soft yet commanding voice. Korra took off the dress and folded it neatly on top of the armor before squaring her shoulders, turning towards Hame. 

“I…” 

“I see it in your muscles when you’re fighting. You’re restraining yourself. Why?” 

Korra looked down, trying to convey shame. “When I was caught, I was spared by the person’s mother. That’s when I was told about this place. She told me I needed restraint, and I didn’t want to come close again to…” she sighed. “Nearly killing someone.” She finally looked up at Hame, who didn’t look at her with pity, nor disgust. She laid a hand on Korra’s shoulder. 

“Then you’ve come to the right place. This type of fighting isn’t meant to kill, simply meant to incapacitate. If you continue learning with us, you will never have to rely on brute force, but this type of fighting means you have to be patient and wait to attack. I saw that you refrained from the first fight, analyzing the fighting style. That’s a good start. But physicality is just one part of this warrior’s way, the second is spirituality. Come with me.” 

Hame exited the building and Korra followed slightly behind. They were headed towards Kyoshi’s temple. 

Hame opened the door to the temple and let Korra through first. She then closed the door and headed towards the small altar and lit a new candle. 

“This is the temple to our island’s founder, Avatar Kyoshi. I thought it would be best for you to come here to begin our meditative studies.” 

If Korra had not been an amazing actress, she would have stared at the old woman wide-eyed, or perhaps rolled her eyes because she was practically an expert in meditation, especially into the spirit world. She knew she had mentioned meditation before, knowing it was apart of the warrior’s training, but she thought she would do it in a group. She also hadn’t thought that Zaheer or a lotus member or even a random person might have meditated into the spirit world at the same time and seen her and this random woman together. She pushed those thoughts aside and sat down across from Hame. 

“We will first close our eyes and empty our minds. We will practice breathing and resting. The first path towards becoming a great warrior is inner peace.” 

Hame closed her eyes and Korra followed suit. They did not meditate into the spirit world (the thought crossed her mind that Hame didn’t know how to do that), rather, just as Hame said, practiced breathing, slowing the heart, and overall clearing the mind. Korra made some intentional mistakes that Zaheer would have had her neck for, but Hame helped her with her form, posture, and allowed Korra to match her breathing. They did this for about an hour, nearing the end Korra nearly got it (still intentionally not showing her mastery of the skill). Hame announced the end of their session and stood up. 

“You are a quick learner,” she said, eyeing Korra slightly suspiciously. 

“I had to be.” 

Hame nodded and she exited the premises. She sent Korra down to the docks to be with Asami and a few of the other girls. Korra welcomed the physical labor (she was itching to practice her bending, but wouldn’t dare try any daylight). She talked with some of the other girls, most of whom had been born on the island and stayed there their entire lives. Although they made an effort to talk with Korra, most of them talked with Asami and she showed them certain tools for certain jobs or talked about the latest invention of her father. 

“So he just created this...suit that can be controlled by someone inside. It’s supposed to be for the police, apparently, they can help contain benders without too much damage or hurt to nonbending police.” 

“But couldn’t they be controlled by metal bending?” 

“Some maybe, but…” she lowered her voice, “apparently he found a way to refine metal so even benders can’t bend it!” 

Korra set her jaw hearing that. But at least she was learning about this. 

“I thought your dad didn’t write to you about his inventions,” one of the girls whispered. Asami whispered back. 

“He doesn’t.” 

They all went back to work, changing the topic very quickly. Not much of note happened until that evening when the women went to bed. Korra waited until they were all asleep, took off her leg, and snuck onto the roof and sat in the darkest corner, meditating. She entered the spirit world with ease and immediately teleported to Xai Bau’s grove. As she thought, Zaheer was there, waiting. 

“Korra!” he said, standing up to greet her. 

“Zaheer.” 

“Do you have news?” 

She nodded. “Asami is Hiroshi Sato’s daughter, though they barely talk. Apparently, he’s made suits of metal that can be controlled by non benders.” 

He nodded. That was all the factual information he needed, but he wanted more. “How do you feel about this girl?” 

Korra was taken aback, not sure what he meant by that phrasing, though she might have blushed. “She’s nice, I suppose.” 

Zaheer gave a slight grin. “I’m just asking because her father is on Noatak’s side, and if you got to know her better, she could come back with you to Republic city and wherever we go next.” 

“Really?” A flood of emotions overcame Korra from confusion to elation, though she was not able to respond as Zaheer cut off her thoughts. 

“This is the last time we shall speak in the spirit world without guards; it is no longer safe for...sensitive topics.” 

Korra inclined her ear, ready for an explanation, but never got one, realizing it was probably another sensitive topic. She thought for a moment. “Old fashioned it is, then.” 

“Correct.” 

They stood in slightly uncomfortable silence. Korra got ready to blink out but Zaheer stopped her with a kind word. 

“I hope you find a good ally in Asami.” 

“Thanks, Zaheer.” Korra smiled and then blinked back to her body. 

Hame corrected Korra’s breathing then settled back into her own meditative position. 

“This time we will enter the spirit world together. You may only be able to hold it for a few minutes, but let me tell you, even a minute in there shows more beauty than what’s left of this world.” 

Korra silently agreed and closed her eyes, entering the spirit world with Hame. They blinked into a field that Korra had not seen before. She hoped that the spirits wouldn’t recognize her. Hame was right next to her, watching Korra’s face, so she showed amazement, which wasn’t hard to fake. 

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” 

“It really is,” Korra said, truthfully. 

“I want you to meet someone,” Hame said, smiling softly. “Follow me.” 

They walked a good way across the field, though the land began to warp and bend, moving them greater distances even with their small steps. They wound up at the edge of a forest opposite where they appeared. surprisingly there was a stone table with eight chairs around it and a small hut. Spirits floated from the backside of the hut and stopped upon laying eyes (or other senses) on the two women. They disappeared immediately into the house. A moment later, the door opened. 

“Hame!” a pot bellied man with a greying beard and teapot in one hand stepped out of the home. The older woman blushed and bowed towards the tea maker. 

“Iroh, always a pleasure.” 

“And I see you brought…” 

“Adria.” Korra introduced herself before Iroh could say her true name. He raised an eyebrow but responded with grace. 

“It’s very nice to meet you, Adria,” he said, bowing. “How about some tea?”

They sat around the table. Every so often Hame would look from Iroh to Korra, making sure her student was still with her and not blinked out of the spirit world. Korra tried to stay silent and occupy her mouth with tea so she didn’t have to risk speaking and have a spirit out her as the Avatar. 

“I am so glad things are going well with you!” Iroh said, pouring himself and Hame another cup of tea. “And the other warriors?” 

“We have this newcomer, but other than that, we haven’t had anyone else worthy come by.” 

Iroh looked at Korra steadily, under knowing and watchful eyes. “She’s a very bright pupil, learning quickly, I see.” 

Hame nodded, taking a sip of her tea. Korra smiled and kept the teacup to her mouth. 

“She is very naturally gifted in physical combat and spiritual matters.” 

“I would hope so,” he narrowed his eyes and Korra got ready to punch him to the Fog of Lost Souls. “Since she is training under the famous Kyoshi Warriors. My niece’s best friend became a Kyoshi warrior; their training is no joke!” 

Korra chuckled and then downed the rest of her tea like a shot. She let her form flicker for the briefest of seconds, just as Hame was glancing at her and not gazing at Iroh. 

“But even natural learners do need practice. We must leave now. Thank you for the tea and the company!” 

Iroh took the tea cup from her hand. “The pleasure is all mine.” He bowed, and the women returned it. They stepped away and woke up back in the real world. 

“You really are a natural!” Hame praised Korra, who smiled weakly. 

“Practice makes perfect! And I have a great teacher.” 

Hame blushed and stood up. “Alright, now go, it’s time for work. I will see you at dinnertime.” 

Korra bowed and left. She first stopped at the beach before joining the others at the docks. Just as she expected, a ship was coming just over the horizon, and a small speck was coming much faster. Zaheer’s hawk landed on Korra’s arm in a few moments. She took the message out of the carrier and sat down to read it. 

“Unalaq plans on usurping power for himself. In four weeks I will return to the island to pick you and whoever you chose to bring or not bring on the first ferry to the island. If you bring a friend, we will stay in the City for several days before continuing our journey, however, if you do not bring a friend, we will immediately embark on our quest. Do not reply immediately, get to know these people better and see whether or not they are worthy of being by your side. Keep this bird close; he’s the only one that can find me.”

Korra re-read the letter until she had it memorized, then ripped it up and threw it into the ocean. The bird looked expectantly at Korra, thinking she already had a letter. She patted its head. “Sorry little guy, not yet. Stay on this island for the next week; I’ll have a letter for you to send back to Zaheer by then.” 

She watched the bird fly off and kicked the sand into the water, which began to rise slightly more than it should have at low tide. She left the ocean. Time to pick her future's path. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ending I was going to have didn't fit and my brain is broken so I didn't think of anything else. Hope the rest of the chapter intrigued you though!


	13. Revenge Cannot Be Taken Against an Inanimate Object

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asami gets injured, Korra struggles with helping her friend and timing.

As soon as lunch was called, Asami approached Korra. 

“Can I talk to you?” she asked. Korra nodded and they walked to the side of the worker’s lunch building. She reached behind her back and Korra immediately got defensive, but Asami waved her hand in a 'stand down' motion as she brought out a scroll. “I drew up some plans for a new leg.” 

Korra froze, genuinely confused at the gesture. Asami unrolled the scroll and Korra gingerly took it from her hands. 

“It would be made of platinum, the new metal that my dad made. It can’t be metal bent and its slightly lighter than the metal leg you have now, even with the internal mechanisms.” 

Korra glanced at the schematics then rolled them back up, giving the scroll back to Asami. “Why would you do this for me?” 

Asami shrugged. “Why not? The other girls already agreed they would help, if you were to stay here and train with us longer.” 

Immediately Korra wanted to say yes. But then she remembered her duties to the Red Lotus, to her teachers. And she remembered Zaheer’s letter. 

“I have another idea. You come back with me to Republic City.” 

Asami froze this time. “What?” 

“My dad wrote a letter, he’ll be returning here to bring me back to the city in four weeks. He said I could bring a friend back with me.” 

“I…” 

“It’s ok! You don’t have to say yes or no yet. I just...wanted to put that out there. I know this has become your home, but there is so much more out there than one island.” 

Korra watched Asami walk away. She hung her head, hoping she didn’t just ruin everything. 

The next three weeks were all routine; Korra trained with the Kyoshi Warriors, went down to the docks and learned more about metalworking and customer service, then sat at a desk trying to write a letter to Zaheer. She didn’t approach Asami about her previous proposition until that third week, one week before Zaheer was coming back to get her. 

Asami was at the shipyard working on the underbelly of one of the boats in the town's dry dock; it had sprung a leak. It was near the end of the day (she had been told to work overtime to get the problem fixed by the morning) so it was just her and Korra left on the beach. Korra tried to get Asami to notice her, but Asami just kept welding, so Korra sat on the shore, watching. The sun got lower and lower over the horizon yet Asami didn’t stop working. Korra was about to go up to her when a shrike came from under the boat. 

“Asami!” Korra yelled as the boat slipped off its dry dock directly onto Asami, her welder’s torch still ignited. Korra looked around, saw no one, and raised her hands up. The ocean reared up and crashed over the wall keeping the dock dry, flooding the place so the boat was forced upwards, enough to get its weight off Asami. Korra psychically kept the water level up and took a large breath of air, diving into the fifteen foot depths. She made her way towards the fizzling welder’s torch and threw it far away, grabbing Asami, and dragging her unconscious body towards the surface. 

She laid Asami down in the sand and placed her ear against her chest. Her heart was beating too fast and she wasn’t breathing. Korra leaned back on her heels and took a breath, concentrating on the water in Asami’s lungs. She lifted her hand over Asami’s mouth and drew the water out. Asami sputtered, finally breathing normally. However, she was still not conscious, and if she kept losing blood so profusely from her right arm, she never would regain consciousness. Korra first tried to stop the bleeding with her tunic, but that did practically nothing. 

Her mind was tiring of keeping the tide up in the dock. She stood up and stomped her foot, metal bending the wall supposed to keep the dock dry, bursting it open. Only then did Korra let go of the tide and allow it to simply tumble over the wall on its own accord. She turned her full attention back to Asami, whose blood now soaked Korra’s tunic completely, beginning to spread through the sand. Korra raised her hand and lowered her arm as if going in for a handshake with a tiny child. The blood in Asami’s veins stopped. Her body did not contort, just laid still as the blood ceased flowing. 

Korra picked up Asami, keeping the bloodbending completely psychically now, and ran towards the old town. She tripped, her metal foot catching on a rock. Rather than deal with the terrain, she grabbed a handful of dust and threw it in front of her then imagined it as a step and balanced on it, just as Kyoshi taught her. She steadied, smiled, then set her jaw. She ran on these tiny columns, practically on this air through the trees, past the ‘city’, to the back of the Warrior’s home. She burst through the door, releasing her hold on Asami’s blood and body. 

“Somebody, help!” She yelled. Immediately, five of the women came by her side, saw the reason, and ran out, grabbing necessary supplies. 

Korra had seen her fair share of blood. She had caused her fair share of blood to leave her opponents. But this was the first time she felt like she could do nothing; she had to protect her identity. Staring at the blood on her hands, she wondered why Zaheer had wanted her to make friends? Was it so she could get hurt like this? This wasn’t a situation where she could go out and find the person responsible; it was an accident. That just made everything so much worse. 

Hours passed; it was completely dark, probably close to eleven or twelve by the time Hame and the older ladies (along with the town’s doctor) finished stitching and cleaning up Asami. Once they exited the room, Korra immediately stood up to hear the news. 

“She’s holding on, for now. If we had a healer from the water tribe on the island, we could tell how extensive the damage is to her arm. She’s not awake, so we can’t test whether or not she can still move it.” The town doctor nodded curtly and left the house. Hame dismissed the other women and took Korra to the tea room. 

“Sit. You’ve had quite the evening.” 

Korra sat, blankly, hearing the sounds of a pot of tea being made, clips clinking, the whistle of boiling water, tea leaves being taken out of their bag and sprinkled into the cups, but she wasn’t...there. She stared at the ground in front of her where the cup was placed, she felt herself reach for the cup, grip it, and place it against her lips, but she did not tilt it and feel the scalding hot tea. She may have winced; she wouldn’t have noticed and placed the cup back on the ground in front of her. 

Hame watched Korra’s reactions/lack thereof, waiting for her own tea to cool before sipping at it. She tried to catch Korra’s eye, but that seemed impossible, so she waited for the girl to make the first move, which would be a first for her, but it was a step that Hame needed to see. But at this time, any sort of reaction wasn’t going to surface unprompted. Hame set her own cup down and took Korra’s hands into her own. The girl flinched. Hame scooted closer and guided Korra’s hands around the tea cup once more, hoping the warmth would snap her back to reality. It took a while, but eventually, Korra seemed to unfreeze and at least meet Hame’s eyes; her own were haunted. 

“The wall to the dry dock split open and the boat fell on Asami. I dove into the water, brought her out. I tried to stop the blood,” her fingers rubbed against the frayed portion of her dress, “but when I couldn’t, I ran as fast as I could back here.” 

“I wasn’t going to ask you about that,” Hame said with the kindest voice she could muster. She picked up her tea cup once more. “I want to know if you are alright.” 

Immediately, Korra’s face turned blank. Everything within her shut down again. Hame nodded to herself and stood up. She placed her empty tea cup back on the counter and bent over, taking the full cup from Korra’s hands, placing it next to hers. She bent down and brushed the hair out of Korra's eyes before pulling the girl to er feet and walking her up the stairs to the wash room. She got Korra a set of new clothes and helped her wash up. She only left Korra’s side once the girl was in her room on her bed.

At some point in the night, Korra slipped out of her bed and went downstairs to visit Asami, intending to attempt Healing with her waterbending, but another one of the older ladies was watching vigilantly over her warrior’s unconscious body, waiting for signs of life. Korra wanted to compromise her position then and there just so she could get to her friend and attempt to heal her, but remembered Zaheer’s letter. He would be returning in less than a week. She could take Asami with her, and then she could heal her without interference or risk of outing herself. As content as she could be with that thought, Korra headed back upstairs into a restless sleep riddled with nightmares of seeing Asami or Ming-Hua or Noatak getting attacked by trees, herself stuck in the mud, unable to bend herself out and help them. 

Morning came by and Hame passed Asami’s room and saw Korra right next to the still unconscious warrior. A fire burned in Korra’s eyes that must have been hidden by shock last night. Hame rapped her knuckles on the wall and Korra glanced over, immediately squashing the flames and anger. A shiver ran down Hame’s spine seeing how quickly her student just switched off a part of herself. 

“Did you get any sleep?” she asked.

Korra shook her head. 

“Would you like something to eat?” 

Again, she shook her head. 

Hame glanced down at Asami, whose head was half shaved, stitched up, and covered in fruit leaves to promote a cleaner wound. Asami’s upper arm and right side of her chest was covered in the same fruit leaves as well as bandages. Her foot was in a splint. 

“Would you like to help me change her bandages?” 

Korra finally nodded. 

“I’ll be right back.” 

Hame returned and the duo got to work in silence. Korra changed the arm bandages while Hame worked on peeling off the fruit leaves and cleaned up the wound on Asami’s head. When they were both nearly finished, Korra spoke up. 

“My father is coming back for me at the end of this week. I had asked Asami if she would like to come with me. Although she had not given me a response, I would like to bring her back to Republic City with me. At least in the city, there are more resources….” she dropped off, finishing the last bandage. 

Hame’s hands froze for a moment before tying the last of Asami’s head bandages. She had expected Korra to leave the island at some point, but not so quickly. 

“That is true…” she said slowly. 

“I understand, she has been one of your students for a long time and I haven’t been….” 

“I will confer with the others.”

Korra waited until that evening to hear back from the Warrior’s elders, and they came with good news. 

“Asami will go with you to the City. But, we are sending one of the other girls with you.” 

Korra’s smile wavered. She felt betrayed before telling herself that it was just good strategic sense; she would have done the same exact thing if she were in their shoes. “Who?” 

“Peggy.” 

Korra glanced at Asami’s peaceful face. Then, she glanced at the bandages covering her body. “Alright then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for the OC!  
> Also, who's ready for a kick ass supervillian team led by Korra? Cause that's what you're about to get ;)  
> For the animal lovers here, I will be bringing Naga back!


	14. Issues Need Patience in Order to Be Solved

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peggy, Asami, and Korra head to Republic city. Zaheer begins to line of Korra's future training. Korra reveals one of her many secrets.

The tall, buff, sandy-skinned girl with brown hair cut in a bob stood next to Korra on the docks, watching the early morning ship come into port. Asami sat in a wheelchair in front of Korra, finally awake. 

“So…” Peggy began, trying to strike up a conversation between herself and her companions. “What are we going to do once we are at the city?” 

“We’ll get Asami the help she needs.” Korra replied. 

“That’s awfully broad.” Peggy narrowed her eyes. 

Korra took a deep breath and calmed her mind before turning to her newest companion. “She needs more than just physical help.” 

“I am right here, you two,” Asami said with a tired voice. The two exchanged glares before turning away from each other, focusing on the ship just getting tied up on the dock. 

“Sorry,” they said in unison. 

Korra scanned the dock again and finally spotted Zaheer, still on the ship’s deck. She turned to Peggy. “Time to go.” 

The three joined Zaheer on the deck, introductions were made. Zaheer slipped away and after a moment, followed him. 

“Why is she here?” He asked, his voice dangerously low. 

“The elders wanted her to come with us.” 

“Did you raise any suspicions?” 

Korra shook her vigorously. “Never.” 

“Then why. Is she here?” 

Korra steadied her breathing and looked Zaheer right in the eye. “She’s another one we can add to the fold.”

Zaheer shook his head, balling his fists. “That’s…” he changed his mind and walked away. Korra did not follow, rather, she went back to the company of Asami and Peggy and plopped down next to them. 

“Did you grow up in the city?” Peggy asked. Korra shook her head, staying silent, grinding her teeth. “I grew up on the island, though I went to the city a lot with my granddad. I even went to the south pole!” 

“Why did you go there?” Asami asked. She never heard much about Peggy’s past; it wasn’t something the girl ever voluntarily shared. 

“That’s where my granddad was from.” 

“How did he end up at the Island?” 

“He met my mom, who was also a Kyoshi warrior. They went their separate ways until finally reuniting and starting a family.” Then Peggy got quiet, sorrowful. She began picking at the palm of her hand, staring out at the lapping waves. 

“What happened?” Korra asked, her gut twisting like she already knew the end of the story, and it wasn’t a happy one. 

“They died in an attack. Their nephew killed them.” Her voice bordered anger and sorrow. “I don’t think they got justice; the man wasn’t killed. But, Avatar Aang did take his bending away, so at least there was some form of justice.” 

Asami reached and squeezed Peggy’s hand with a half smile on her face, trying to comfort the girl. Korra bowed her head. 

“What would you have done to the man?” She asked with a quiet voice. 

“Done what Avatar Kyoshi would have done: killed him.” 

Asami did a double take. “What?” 

“I know, I know. We have learned that anger should not drive us and our lives, we need to keep a balanced Chi. But we are proof that just because you don’t have bending doesn’t mean you aren’t dangerous. It’s just because that man was Aang’s son that he was spared, even though the Avatar is supposed to be impartial for the sake of the world.” 

She finally breathed and looked at her audience. Asami looked slightly startled, but blinked and was immediately comforting once more. Korra mirrored her response. 

“How about we meditate,” Asami suggested. Korra shot her a warning glance but Asami either didn’t see it or ignored it. Peggy stood up. 

“That’s probably a good idea.” 

“Uh, let’s go to our room, it’s quieter there.” Korra led the way then knocked very loudly on the closed door. To her relief, Zaheer answered. 

“Come in.” 

He showed no signs of their last meeting, though he did take a prolonged look at Peggy from under his thick eyebrows. 

“You three just want to get away from the crowds or…?” 

“We wanted to meditate,” Korra said before either of the others could answer. When Zaheer looked at her queer, she added, “yes, it’s something I do now.” 

“Well then, I won’t intrude.” He clasped his hands behind his back and exited the room. 

Peggy and Korra sat on the floor while Asami stayed in her chair after attempting to join her friends on the floor and only bringing more pain upon herself. 

Korra did not let herself enter the spirit world. She simply entered her mind. The three of them meditated until supper was called. In the morning they would dock. Nothing of note happened that night even though it should have. Instead, Korra stewed in her bed, feeling she’s missing something huge, but not allowing herself to enter the spirit world or connect with her past lives to get the answer. Not yet. 

Immediately upon reaching the docks, Asami gripped her fans a little tighter. Hiroshi stood in the back wearing a hood, waiting for Zaheer to find him. Once they found each other and moved out of the public eye, he revealed himself. 

“Asami!” He said, truly happy to see her, though that happiness quickly turned to concern after addressing her injuries. “Let’s get you home. I’ll bring in the finest healers…” He went to take her wheelchair from Peggy, but Asami placed her hand on the wheel, stopping any movement. 

“Peggy can take me.” She looked over her shoulder to her friend, who nodded and re-gripped the handles of the chair. Hiroshi stiffened before bowing slightly. 

“As you wish. Please, to my car.” 

The five of them rode in a large Satomobil to Hiroshi’s mansion near the mountains. Korra and Peggy stared out of the windows, fascinated by the sheer size of the house, not to mention the landscape and amenities including but not limited to an outdoor pool, sparring ring, and racecar track. Asami stared at the interior wall. The driver got Zaheer and Hiroshi to engage in conversation, mostly about pro-bending, but there were some whispers of the equalists, quickly quelled with a stern look from Hiroshi. 

“Your house is beautiful,” Peggy told Hiroshi once they all stepped out of the vehicle. 

“Thank you,” he said, proudly gazing at his mansion. “It was not easily created, but through perseverance, anything is possible.” 

Asami set her jaw and her expression got stony, but she said nothing. Korra grabbed her wheelchair as Peggy was still busy admiring the architecture and wheeled her to the back door, where there were no stairs. 

“Are you alright?” Korra asked her in a quiet voice. Asami took a while to respond. 

“I’m fine.” 

She definitely was not fine. Korra continued to push her to one of the ground floor bedrooms. Hiroshi knocked and entered before Korra could say anything. 

“Would you give us the room?” Hiroshi asked. Korra nodded after giving Asami a warm smile. The girl smiled back, but Korra stole a peek before closing the door all the way and her friend’s smile turned into a frown, lightning quick. Korra ran into Zaheer on her way to the kitchen. He pulled her aside. 

“Outside, now.” 

They went all the way to the mountains so they could view anyone coming in or out of the house (Korra had made sure Peggy was still in her room before leaving). 

“Hiroshi is with Amon. I want you to get to Asami, get her to trust you. What do you think she’ll do if you reveal yourself?” Zaheer asked, staring intensely at his pupil. 

“I think she’ll join us. She wouldn’t run away, even if she didn’t have a broken leg.” 

“Don’t be blinded by your feelings for her,” Zaheer said, careful to watch every microexpression on Korra’s face. “You know that the Kyoshi Warriors do not bend in their ways and she was with them far longer than you were. I am not worried that she would accept you as a bender, I am worried she would turn on you because of your beliefs.” 

Korra frowned slightly. She took her time before answering. “Then I just have to convince her we are right.” 

“And you’re sure you can do that?” 

Korra steeled her resolve. “Yes.” 

“Then get to it. Get this done soon because we will be visiting Amon in two days.” 

She froze, slightly confused. Zaheer nodded, a mischievous twinkle in his eye to throw Korra off the scent. 

“There’s always more training to be done. Speaking of, did you complete the tasks I appointed to you while on the island?” 

Korra nodded, excited. “I was able to connect with one of my past lives. She taught me how to dust step. And I was able to learn some interesting moves from the Kyoshi warriors, though their spiritual training was lacking. I did meet Iroh in the spirit world.” 

Worry flashed on Zaheer’s face. 

“No, he did not reveal who I am.” 

Relief took over. 

“The warriors did give me a run for my money, especially since I had to wear this clunker,” she shook her metal leg. 

“Is Asami still going to make you a new one?” 

Korra nodded. “She’s planning on it, though she loathes the thought of working with her father.” 

“Then it’s good that they’ll be forced to work together. He’ll be trying to get her on his side, and with you as an additional voice of reason, that’s a better chance she will join us.” 

“I want to be the one to heal Asami,” Korra said after several moments of quiet. 

“You do?” 

“It would show her that I care about her, we care about her.” 

“Hmm.” 

“She’ll find out eventually; I’d rather have her see me healing than destroying first.” 

Zaheer nodded even though his suspicions were on the rise that she knew more than she was letting on. 

“And what about this new girl, Peggy?” 

“She’s angry. Her time with the Kyoshi warriors never got rid of that anger. She wants to find whoever killed her grandfather and grandmother, someone whose bending was taken away, rather than them getting executed. I think she’ll make a great ally.” 

Zaheer physically jolted, as if hit with a bucket of freezing cold water. It took a few deep breaths to get his heart rate and mind back under his control. 

“If she’s angry like that, she’d rather side with Amon than with us. She can join us when we go into the city and meet with him.” 

Korra nodded. “Sounds good.” 

They left the mountainside, had a fantastic dinner served by one of Republic city’s finest chefs, and then retired to the living room for light conversation. Hiroshi and Zaheer talked politics. Peggy listened intently, not having heard too much except second-hand stories from visitors to the island. Asami got immediately annoyed by the state of the city and especially annoyed at her father for ‘not using his power to help the city, just extorting money from its citizens’. She made eye contact with Korra, who got up and rolled her to her room. 

“Why is it just about politics and money and control?” Asami threw her hand up in the air. “Why?” 

Korra stepped into the on suet bathroom and turned the faucet to the tub on, then stepped back out to answer her. “I think it's because the world has changed too much too quickly. The system wasn’t ready for that. Maybe,”    
  


“Maybe the system needs to be changed.” Asami basically finished her sentence for her. That encouraged Korra’s spirits. 

“Maybe it does.” She grabbed the handles to the wheelchair and carted her friend into the bathroom, where the tub was half filled with water. 

“What?” Asami asked, giving a puzzled look at Korra. 

“I can’t heal you unless you get in the water.” She said, frankly. With a quick and tiny gesture, the lock on the bedroom door fell in place to Peggy or anyone else couldn't see what was happening. 

“Is this some kind of weird...thing?” 

Korra turned five shades darker. “What? No! I’m a Healer. I just couldn't show anyone else, not on the island that prides themselves in being chi blockers.” 

When Asami said nothing, Korra knelt down and touched the tip of her finger to the surface of the water. It froze into a giant ice block. She removed her hand and it turned once more to water. 

“Do you need more proof?” She stood up and sat on the sink, removing her metal leg. She set it on the ground as quietly as she could and arched her wrist, creating a wave in the water, picking it up, then attaching it to her thigh. Asami watched with unbelieving eyes. 

“I saved you from the docks. I took the water out of your lungs and made as much blood stay inside you as possible. I saved you once, but not quickly enough. I want to make that right. If you’ll let me.” 

Asami stared at Korra’s ice leg. 

“I need some air,” was all she said. Korra, although disappointed, understood. She removed her ice leg and put on her metal one then wheeled Asami out to the main room. Peggy came over and took over when Korra left to go to her room and meditate. 

After spending hours wandering the spirit world, she made her way to the Fog of Lost Souls and stared into the nothingness for a long time. 

“I don’t know all the Avatar’s within me, but I need your guidance,” she spoke to the wind, sitting cross legged on the edge of the grass leading to the Fog. 

“Your next element is the element of fire, of energy. Go to Crescent Island. There, I will be able to talk with you.” A soft male voice whispered on the passing wind. Korra nodded. At least she had some guidance. Hopefully, that next lesson would solve many of her problems. She took one last look into the Fog, thankful she wasn’t in there even if she felt like she was, at least she knew she could get out of her fogginess. 

A knock came at Korra’s door. She bowed to the Fog inside the spirit world and returned to her body. 

“Come in.” 

The door opened and one of the butlers pushed Asami’s wheelchair into her room. Asami then dismissed her aid, who closed the door. 

Korra sat on the edge of her bed, not even trying to act nonchalant. 

“You lied to me, but you didn’t abandon me.” Asami began, making sure to keep absolute eye contact with Korra, who never wavered. “If you are able to help me, I will take it.” 

Korra half smiled. “There’s much more I want to tell you, and will. But first, let’s get you back to fighting shape, shall we?” 


	15. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra learns how Amon takes away bending. There's other stuff but idk how to summarize without spoilers, sorry guys.

By Wednesday, the day for Korra to meet with Amon, Asami was halfway healed. Korra did not heal her friend as fast as she technically could have, because she still needed to keep her abilities hidden from everyone else in the house. Asami had many questions and Korra did try to answer those she could, but she was grateful that she was going to be in the city away from that mansion and its inhabitants. She exited the Satomobil with Zaheer and they took the long way to Amon’s underground City. 

“Hello, Duron, Sir,” Bolin made a sweeping bow before addressing Korra. 

“Hey!” He said, pointing a finger in her face, though he didn’t mean anything by it. “It’s you! Adria, right?”

“Yes!” She said, lighting up. “I’m glad you were able to contact Amon, Bolin.” 

Immediately his face fell and he glanced over his shoulder. “Ah, yes, I should be leading you to him as we speak. Please, follow me.” 

He led them, not to Amon’s office, but to a room even Zaheer hadn’t seen yet. Bolin made sure that they were not followed, and only after having his *what* turn around did he grant them access to one of Amon’s secret,  _ secret _ rooms. 

It was a bigature of the Pro bending stadium; Amon looked like a giant standing on the platform. He stepped off to greet Zaheer and Korra once Bolin introduced the duo then left, sealing the door behind himself. 

“Duron, my old friend,” he said, clasping Zaheer in a hug. They patted each other on the back and unclasped, with Amon turning to Korra. He eyed her over, particularly noting her metal leg. 

“How was your little side quest?” 

“Insightful,” she replied, intentionally vague. Amon wasn’t one to push. 

“Well, Adria,” he stressed her fake name, “Duron here has had quite the idea. And for once, I agree with him.” 

Korra crossed her arms. “Well then, it better be spectacular.” 

Amon chuckled. “Oh, it is. And please, put these on,” he handed them masks. Only after they donned them did he wave his hand, opening a panel on the wall to reveal a small closet. The woman inside was bound and gagged. “Adria, please untie her.” 

Korra looked from Amon to the woman before hesitantly stepping into the small room and untying the person. Immediately, she lashed out with waterbending. Korra ducked and quickly landed a few jabs at the woman’s stomach with an uppercut to her chin, knocking the woman to the ground. She backed away, breathing heavily only from the surprise. 

Amon chuckled. “As you can see, as of this moment, she is still a bender. But,” he began walking towards the woman, “that will change. Observe.” 

The woman picked herself up off the floor, still ready to fight. He ducked her next blow, stepped behind her, and kicked her knees out from under her. She fell to the ground and Amon placed his hand on her shoulder and the other on her forehead. Five seconds and he let her go. She slumped to the ground. She shook her head as if trying to get her bearing and made a movement that would have grabbed water from the floor and sent it straight into Amon. Yet nothing happened, not even a ripple in the puddle. She fell back to the ground, exhausted. 

Amon walked out of the holding room and closed the door. Korra stared aghast at the now-closed door. 

“That is what you shall be learning next.” Zaheer said through clenched teeth. 

“How did you just do that?” Korra whispered. 

“Bloodbending.” 

Korra looked at the floor where water leaked out of the now closed-off holding room. What she had just seen was horrifying….but fascinating. And….it wasn’t too far from her cleansing and changing spirits, right? But it was about control, not chaos. Though perhaps Chaos would come from it. She looked from the water to Zaheer, who gave the passible impression of a rock. Korra squeezed her eyes shut trying to figure out how bloodbending could have done  _ that _ . Amon chuckled. 

“Don’t try to figure it out; you’ll just give yourself a headache. All you need to know is how to do it.” 

“If it helps your conscience, everyone we are practicing on are known criminals.” 

Korra stayed silent as she walked beside Amon. He waved his hand and another door opened, assisted by hydraulics, revealing yet another prisoner. However, this one was completely shackled to the floor, gag and blindfold on. 

Amon had showed her the motion and what to think: ‘Imagine the blood flowing from their heart to their brain. Find the source of their bending and stop the blood flow to it.’ 

Korra felt excitement beginning to rush through her veins. Everything that was going to follow this was exciting, it was the unknown, and in the unknown, she could navigate. She placed her hand on the man’s shoulder and then let her thumb descend onto his forehead. She closed her eyes, feeling the blood within her prey. She felt it traveling through his body. 

_ Stop _ . She imagined the blood stopping in him. She let go and he went limp. But unlike Amon’s victim, this one didn’t get up. She prodded him with her foot. No movement. She bent down and removed the gag, holding her hand to his mouth. 

“He’s not breathing!” 

Amon shook his head and opened yet another secret door, out of which two of his dutiful helpers emerged. “Take the body and bring in the next one.” Amon sighed. “What did you imagine?”

“I imagined stopping blood flow to the brain.” 

“You need to stop blood flow to only one certain part of the brain. Imagine the top of your brain, the smallest sliver of it. And only cut off blood flow to there.” 

Korra nodded, the excitement fading and fear setting in; if she didn’t get this down, that meant she couldn’t pass her waterbending test or even begin her waterbending test, which means she couldn’t perfect earthbending, which meant she couldn’t begin firebending. Everything rested on this. She felt her heart rate elevate and sweat begin to appear on her brow as if she were trying to darken spirits. She took the time for the next prisoner to be brought in to center herself. 

The woman was chained to the floor. Korra opened her eyes and walked up to her target, placed her hand on her shoulder and her thumb on the woman’s forehead. She imagined the top path of blood flow all the way up to the top of the brain and then stopped it. She let go of her victim and backed away. This one did not fall to the ground dead, just unconscious. 

“Very good, Korra. You learned that much quicker than I did,” he said, slightly skeptically. “Now,” he clasped his hands behind his back once more. “Tomorrow the Equalists will finally claim this city for their own. We will invade the Pro-bending match. Although I will make a public declaration of our take over by taking away the winner’s bending, we will capture all of the other participants, and, in secret, you and I will take away their bending.” 

Korra listened to his entire plan, then was dismissed. She was about to sneak out of the underground city when that dark hair kid caught her eye. She walked up behind him and tapped his shoulder. He jumped. 

“Wha--oh! Adria, you scared me!” 

Korra looked grave. “Are you still doing Probending?” 

He shook his head. “Nope! Just helping Amon out best we can.” He cocked his head to the side, observing Korra. “Is everything alright?” 

She immediately got in control of her face and straightened up. “Yes. I just heard that the probending match was happening again; I didn’t think it would happen so soon.” 

“Yeah, this is the second season of the year, different competitors.” 

“Are you thinking of watching the matches tomorrow?” 

He raised an eyebrow and scanned the room, though his answer didn’t seem to need that sort of paranoia. “No. Just manning the fort.” 

“Alright.” Korra left and found Zaheer still wandering around the underground city. She needed to know how this fit into his plan, and when she would be meeting with Ghazan and maybe ming-Hia. She realized she honestly did not know enough information. 

“Can we talk?” She asked him. He nodded and they left the Underground together, going up to the same rooftop that he and Noatak had visited months ago. 

“What is it, Adria?” 

She was beginning to forget that wasn’t her real name. “Do you know what Amon has planned for tomorrow?” 

He nodded. 

“How are you okay with this? This doesn’t seem to go with your plan.”  _ What I know about it anyway _ . 

“Did you forget how I account for every last detail?” His voice was cold. 

Korra shook her head. “I just…”

‘You just...what? Don’t trust me anymore?” 

“No! It’s not that-” 

“I trust you to follow my orders, and at this moment they are in line with whatever Amon has planned.” 

“Yes.” she said, disappointed and frightened. She looked at her feet swinging off the edge of the building and the people following their lives below. 

“Unalaq is trying to change the course of our future.” 

Korra stopped swinging her legs. 

“He is planning on fusing with Vaatu, the Dark Spirit, during Harmonic convergence.” 

“Is that why you don’t want to be communicating through the Spirit world anymore?” 

Zaheer nodded. “And, that is why we are pairing with Amon. His goals are to take over this city and first take over the law enforcement, rendering even the non-bending president defenseless. Then his goal is to spread out from there, eventually taking down each of the rulers of the world, establishing his own rule with the equalists in charge.” 

Korra took a moment to connect the pieces. “You want to take Unalaq out of the picture but not have it seem like we are turning against one of our own.” 

“Exactly.” He studied Korra’s face, even as she turned away from him to overlook the city. “Do you feel any aversion to this plan?” 

“No,” she said, slowly, her face blank, although there were fewer instances of her showing any emotion. 

“Good. If we do this for Amon, we can move on from the City and establish the next Red Lotus compound where you can complete your Waterbending test and Earthbending test. Has your bending suffered in the last 6 weeks?” 

“No.” 

“Good.” 

Their conversation ended and they went back to the Underground, waiting for Amon’s big invasion to be made public on the Radio. Right on cue, just after the winner of the final match was declared, it was announced that masked men broke through the stadium’s glass dome ceiling and descended on cables to the platform. Try as they might, both the winners and losers were no match for these masked men with electrified gloves. 

Korra waited, wearing the exact gear as Amon, for the trucks to arrive. They took a while and many came through different entry points to the Underground. But as soon as the first truck came in, she began the process. Some made it. Some didn’t. By the end of the night, over five hundred benders had come through the secret doors and met their unfortunate fate through the hands of Korra or Amon, and none would know which they fell victim to. 

After the two hundredth person fell to the ground and was dragged away, Bolin popped his head in to tell her that was the last one. She took off the equalist gear and changed into her own earth kingdom garb. She snuck out of the room but once she emerged into the main part of the Underground, Bolin found her. 

“Amon wants to see you in his office.” 

She raised her head high and followed him to Amon’s office. Once the door was locked, Amon removed his mask. Korra had not been expecting to see a burn scar on his face. 

“All apart of the show, my dear,” he said, stuffing his mask in his belt. “You did very well, though I did notice some of them didn’t make it.” 

Korra hung her head. “I apologize. Some of them resisted too much.” 

“You will learn to overcome any sort of resistance,” he stated. 

Korra gulped. “Yes.” 

“Has Duron told you my plans?” 

“Yes.” 

“Then you know that I still require your assistance. If Duron wants this world, it will have to be under my rule first and that requires you and your gifts.” 

Korra’s eyes shifted from him to the blueprints on the walls. Many of them had Sato's logo on the bottom right corner. 

“I will assist you and your quest because I know it furthers my own. However, I must complete my training, both with you and with the others.” 

"No, we need as many people in this fight as we can _right now._ "  Noatak’s face turned hard and a scowl paired with his ‘burn’ turned him very ugly very quickly. He tried to bloodbend her but she knew how to resist and did it very easily. 

“Your tricks can’t work on me, Noatak,” she said his real name. “And you can’t turn against me unless you want the entire army to turn against you. You just need to be patient.”

He paused, then growled. “I can do it myself.” 

Korra easily sidestepped his blow and kicked him in the back with her metal foot. He slammed against the wall. S

"You literally just said you need as many people as you can get." he was tired and hungry and wanted to be with people she actually liked. She tried to earthbend the walls, but the metal was apparently platinum and didn’t budge. She settled for the dusty floor, taking the tiniest bits of dust, as if she were able to dust walk, and turned them into solid needles, their points small enough to fit in a single pore. She held them against Noatak. 

“I will complete my tests, return to help you, then begin my firebending. I will help you, but you will allow me to complete _my_ mission.” 

He sneered. She pushed the dust-needles further into his skin. He grit his teeth in pain. 

“Fine.” 

Korra relented the needles. “I’ll be seeing you.” She left the room.

“Adria, what’s wrong?” Peggy asked the second Korra showed her face in the Sato mansion. 

“Nothing,” she lied. “It’s just been a long day.” 

Peggy watched her leave. She did not believe Korra one bit; she had been gone the entire time plus some that the entire Equalist revolution happened. So had Zaheer. Something wasn’t adding up with them just being father-daughter ‘reformed’ thieves. If they were up to something, she would find out what. No matter the cost. 


	16. Leaves Falling From The Vine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asami and her father attempt a heart to heart. Peggy and Korra go on their own adventure in the City.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ending is a little depressing and mean but don't worry it'll get worse later on so this won't seem like much of a terrible ordeal.

“Are you sure you still want to do this for me?” Korra asked as she wheeled Asami down to the basement of the mansion. 

“Why wouldn’t I?” she asked. 

“You still need help, and I’m leaving so that leaves-” 

“Peggy, and several butlers, and some workers.” 

“Your father, Asami.” 

Korra got down the last bit of the ramp and stepped in front of Asami, whose face was guarded. “I think he wants to repair your relationship.” 

“I don’t want to,” Asami whispered. 

“Fair enough. But, I don’t think you’ll have much of a choice,” Korra said, looking at the top of the ramp where the door just opened. Hiroshi entered with a few engineers and Peggy trailing behind. Korra quickly squeezed Asami’s hand and moved to the side. 

“Thank you for keeping her company, Adria, but I will take it from here,” Hiroshi smiled at his daughter. Asami kept her lips in a tight line as she watched Korra walk out of the room, followed by Peggy. She stared at her father as he pulled a rolling stool over to his workbench. 

“So,” he rolled out the plans Asami had drawn up and began studying them. “These aren’t half bad,” he put on his reading glasses and hunched over. “However, there is room for improvement.” 

“On what? The inside mechanisms? I already have them measured to Adria’s exact measurements, same as the shell. And I have already talked with one of the engineers, and they say my plans are fine as is.” 

Hiroshi removed his spectacles and looked at his daughter with sadness in his eyes. She frowned and sneered. 

“Don’t feel bad for yourself,  _ Dad _ . You did this.” 

He stayed silent, biting the inside of his lip while folding his glasses and putting them back in his shirt pocket. Asami couldn’t stand the silence. 

“You sent me away after mom died. Did you not know how much pain  _ I _ was in, too? We could have shared that, but you sent me away!” Her lip quivered-from rage or sadness, she didn’t know. “You told me I needed to learn to fight so the same thing that happened to my mother wouldn’t happen to me-what did you do? And why try to reconnect now?” 

Hiroshi got off his seat and knelt down in front of his daughter’s wheelchair, taking her hand in his. She took her hand away in a flash. Hiroshi stayed kneeling, putting his hand on his knee. 

“I never meant to hurt you, Asami. I just didn’t want you to see me as the broken man I became.”

Asami stared at the plans on the workbench, squeezed her eyes shut, and managed to stare at her father’s work, weary-lined face. 

“What came out of that brokenness, Dad?” When he didn’t answer, she pointed at things around the room. “You created plasma tools, you were able to refine metal so that even benders couldn’t use it. You made fire-resistant clothing. You dove into your work and were able to create so many things.” she finally looked back at him. “Yet you couldn't find time to create a relationship with me, your own flesh and blood.” Tears sprung to her eyes as she leaned forward and took the plans off the workbench. “When you finally have the stroke of genius to fix  _ this _ ,” she pointed between herself and her father, “without being forced by your peers, then we can talk and work together. Butler!” 

Immediately, one of the butlers came into the room. “Yes, Miss Sato?” 

“Take me to the worker’s workshop, please.” 

“As you wish.” 

She didn’t look back even as Hiroshi watched his daughter get pushed out of his life, this time, at least, by someone, not himself. 

Zaheer and Korra loaded up onto one of the Satomobiles in Hiroshi’s driveway when Peggy came bounding up. 

“Where are you going?”

“Uh, to the City.”

“I’m coming with you,” Peggy said, grabbing the door handle and stepping into the car. 

Korra gave a slightly panicked look at Zaheer, who just grunted and put the car into gear. They arrived at the city and immediately Zaheer dumped Korra and Peggy on a sidewalk. The two watched the car pull away. Peggy turned to Korra with a slightly smug smile. 

“So, where do you want to go?” she asked. 

Korra looked around the block. There were some restaurants, shops, etcetera. But there weren’t that many people. Immediately, Peggy noticed that lack of life, once she trailed Korra’s line of sight. 

“Must be the fear of the equalists.” She said as they began to walk, absentmindedly, through the near-deserted streets. 

Korra’s mind flashed back to yesterday, where she dressed up as Amon and took away people’s bending. 

“Maybe it’s just early?” She said, still looking around. Down one of the main streets, there were more people. But, there were also more police officers. Korra stifled a snort; as if those offficers could do anything against Amon. Plus, half of them were in his pocket of ‘protected persons’, so their bending would be taken away last if they stepped aside for now. 

“Yeah, sure,” Peggy rolled her eyes. Instinctively, she began heading towards the group of people. They pretty much just wandered around until they got lunch, at that point they went towards the community park. 

“Why did you come, Peggy?” Korra asked, munching on a piece of kebab meat. 

“The elders told me to come.” 

“But, why you?” 

Peggy shifted her legs, crossing them underneath her. “Why do you think?” 

“I think it’s as much of a test for you as it is for me.” 

“Excuse me?” Peggy stopped munching. 

“Hey, hey,” Korra had to play it cool. “Just a theory. I wasn’t there long enough to know everything, but what I could tell is that the Elders trained us for many reasons, and one of them was to survey the world outside your island.” 

“So we can help the world.” 

“So why wait until I came to send someone? And why not just leave it to Asami and me? Are we not good enough?” Korra put just enough crack in her voice to make Peggy’s expression soften. 

“It was just the opportune time,” Peggy stated. She gave Korra a reassuring pat on the hand. “But the world outside is so much worse than we all thought. We had others that left Kyoshi Island and still stayed in touch; the places they went were never like this.” 

Korra finally tore her eyes off Peggy and to her surroundings. She saw the same things she had the first time she had visited that park: trash and litter, thieves and homeless people. What she didn’t see were the families enjoying each other's company in the light of the sun, she didn’t see the maintenance workers-the hatch! Someone was climbing out of it. Thankfully Peggy was not facing that way. 

“This is all very new,” Korra said, looking at the kabab in her hand before taking a bite. 

“I did hear the radio yesterday; Amon and the Equalists took over the Pro bending stadium and took away hundreds of people. This morning the radio announcer said that only a few people that were taken came forward. Their bending was taken away. I thought only the Avatar could do that.” 

Korra’s ears twitched. “Do you think this Amon person could be the Avatar?” 

Peggy shook her head. “He sounds too old; the Avatar would be at the oldest, fourteen.” 

“You sure know a lot about the Avatar,” Korra had to approach this subject carefully. 

“Well, when your grandfather was the brother-in-law to the Avatar, you learn a lot.” 

Korra thought back to their conversation on the boat getting to the city. She let out a soft ‘oh’ when the dots connected. 

“Avatar Aang’s son was an Airbender, something went wrong, and killed your grandparents.” 

Peggy went silent, only nodding. 

“Peggy, I’m so sorry.” 

“You weren’t the one that didn’t give the correct punishment.” 

“So is that why you don’t agree with Amon? He’s taking away people’s bending, not killing them.” 

“If he weren’t going after innocent people I would be completely on board with him. But he’s also taking away bender’s bending for the sake of it and that’s wrong.” 

“If you had the power, would you take away his bending or would you kill him?” 

Peggy actually had to think about her answer. “At least with Ekagr,” she spit out the name as if it were poison, “he didn’t mean to kill the wrong men. Amon is doing this on purpose.” 

Someone rustled in the bushes, so Peggy did not say her intent, but Korra got the gist of it. 

“Let’s get out of here.” 

She felt it with her seismic sense but had to let it happen. Peggy stood up next to her and they got to the bridge when they were jumped by six of Amon’s men. They threw cans that let out some sort of fog and made visibility pretty much impossible. Peggy was putting up a good fight, but when Korra ‘lost her leg’ and fell to the ground, she went to help her friend. That’s when she was zapped from behind and fell unconscious. 

Her sight was blurry, but her other senses were on point; Peggy knew she was bound hand and foot in some damp, musty cellar with dirt floors. 

“Adria?” She called out. 

“I’m here,” Korra responded. Her hands were tied behind her and her metal leg was no where to be seen. 

“Did you see where they brought us?” Peggy asked. 

“No. They knocked me out just after you.” Which was a lie, but Peggy couldn’t tell the difference. “But I think it was the equalists. I caught a glimpse of their face masks.” 

“What could they want with us?” 

Korra shrugged. She knew this was a part of Zaheer’s plan, to either get Peggy out of the picture or have her officially join the cause. 

“We aren’t benders….” 

“But we know chi blocking. Maybe they want to recruit us?” Korra added some hope to her voice. 

“Such a warm welcome,” Peggy said, sarcastically. 

“Isn’t it?” Amon’s voice rang through the room. Peggy’s eyes followed his every step towards her. He seemed to disregard the fact that Korra was there. 

“We saw your ship come in and you do not bear the weight of ‘just a caregiver’. You’re a chi blocker. And though I do apologize for the theatrics, this is a job proposal.” He waves his hand and someone comes in and unties Peggy. She lashes out the second all her limbs are freed; kicks the masked goon in the chin: he flies backward. She sprung up and jumped into position, fists at the ready. Amon stands still, waiting for her to attack first. She sees this and glances at Korra, who’s still tied up. She goes and unties her friend, who uses the wall to stand (although there is no need, Korra does have impeccable balance and can fight on one leg). 

“Just let us go.” 

“I still have yet to see your true warrior. You don’t want to let down your namesake, do you?” 

Peggy stared at the masked vigilante before her. She always thought that taking away someone’s bending wasn’t enough. Now it appeared to be too much. 

“Why are you doing this?” she asked, though her fists were still raised, ready to strike. 

“Everyone deserves fairness. Those that have the ability to bend automatically have advantages the rest of the world doesn’t have.” 

Peggy didn’t ask another question, yet. 

“Even the past Avatar knew that if he took someone’s bending away they were crippled. When he took away Yakone’s bending, crime fell because that one man couldn’t control droves with his bloodbending.” 

“That’s an extreme rod to measure by,” Peggy said through grit teeth.

“But it’s not wrong. There needs to be equality in this world or it will fall. Kyoshi knew that. And she took to the extreme.” 

Peggy’s arms slowly lowered as Amon’s words worked their way through her brain. He stepped aside, showing them the exit. Peggy walked to Korra and took her arm looping it around her shoulders. The two walked out of the room and into the Underground. Amon trailed after them. 

“This is where the poor and unfortunate souls came when life overtook them. Some say that this is where benders and non benders lived in peace and harmony. They only lived in ‘peace’ because they couldn't afford a war.” 

Peggy looked lost in wonder, wide eyes at the poverty getting overtaken, possibly lifted, by the Equalists, who were providing food and clean necessities. There were people leaving in nice clothing because, with so many bender’s abilities taken away, employers had to look for non-benders with skills to match production deadlines. 

“Most of the population up there is non bender. Yet, the police use metalbenders, primarily. But they also have firebenders, earthbenders, their medics are waterbenders. Four of the five seats in the so called government are benders. Any non-bender is a desk jockey, or barely making an income by selling products created by benders. The people of this city deserve better.” Amon stated. Peggy nodded. Korra watched her friend’s face, watched the resolve appear behind her eyes. 

“They do." She mumbled. "What would you want me to do?” 

Underneath the mask, Amon smiled. 

“You’re really leaving?” Asami asked Peggy as the latter folded her last article of clothing and closed her suitcase. 

“I want to help this city, Asami. As Kyoshi Warriors, we were taught to help people. This is my chance.” 

Asami saw the fervor in her friend’s face; she really believed this was the right thing to do. Peggy  _ had _ seen more than what she had, so maybe the Equalists weren’t all bad. They must not be if Peggy was joining them. 

“I’ll miss you.” 

“I’ll miss you, too. But we’ll see each other again, I know it.” 

Peggy leaned down and hugged Asami, who hugged as tightly as she could with one good arm. They separated, and Peggy picked up her suitcase, flashed an excited smile, and left the Sato mansion. 

Korra knocked on Asami’s door. 

“Come in.”

“Hey, how did today go?” 

“You mean after you left me with my father?” Asami gave a venomous look to Korra. “He thinks nothing changed, that he can just come back into my life without any consequences for what he did.” 

Korra let Asami rant for a little while longer, put on a sympathetic face, and nodded at the right times. 

“Zaheer and I are leaving the City for a few days.” 

Asami stopped, her chest pounding. “Why?” 

“To test my bending skills. It should be for less than a week.” 

“Wait, why are you telling me this? What happens after this test?” Asami could hear the blood rushing in her ears and she gripped the arm rest of her wheelchair so tightly her knuckles began to turn white. 

“If I pass these tests, I’ll be moving away from the city. And now, there are two options that I know I can give you. You and your father can work on the plans you drew up and have it completed in less than a week and you can come with me to my training and beyond.” 

“Or?” 

“Or, I have to leave this city without a new leg and without my best friend.” 

Asami stared at Korra. Why would someone who calls her ‘her best friend’ give such rubbish options? 

“Just think about it. Please.” Korra gave a slight smile and left Asami in her room. Alone. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Peggy implied she would kill Amon and then joined him. Do you think she's truly swayed to the cause or is she buying her time?


	17. Hello, Terrible Decisions Do Come Back to Haunt You (eventually)- Here!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asami and Hiroshi try to hash things out, Korra finally gets to reveal who she is

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I appreciate everyone that reads my story! This chapter delves a little deeper into Asami's story, which I'm thinking of incorporating deeper into the story. I hope you enjoy!

“You’re wrong. There’s another option and that’s the one I’m taking.” Asami dismissed the butler that wheeled her into Korra’s room. “I’m coming with you to your training.” 

Korra slammed her book on ‘The 7 Wonders of The Four Nations’. She stands up and runs out of the room to find Zaheer, leaving Asami in a state of confusion. 

“If Asami comes to the Training, she will know I am the Avatar.” 

Zaheer closed his fist around what seemed to be a locket and stood up. Korra caught her breath quickly, but her heart was still pounding. 

“Can she be trusted?” He asked each word slowly. 

“Yes.” She said without hesitation. She surprised herself at how readily she knew the answer. 

“Then, she can come.” He sat back down on his bed. Korra paused. 

“You’ve thought about this before, haven’t you? You wouldn’t let me tell her if you didn’t also trust her.” She cocked her head to the side as Zaheer’s lip twitched into the makings of a smile. 

“I would not allow her, no. I would have liked for her and her father to have patched things up, then perhaps it wouldn't be such a surprise to find out everyone and everything in her life is tied together in some way or another.” 

“I’ll propose this then. If she comes with us, we have to come back and begin working on that leg. We can work together, and we can get her father to reveal himself to her. If she agrees with us, she’ll agree with him.” 

“Don’t cloud your judgment. She’s not like Peggy, who wants justice served flaming hot. She wants harmony.” 

“That’s why she likes fixing machines. To make them whole again.” 

“Now you see,” Zaheer said, finally uncurling his fist, revealing the locket he had hidden. “This contains a poem from the Guru Lahima, the first Airbender known to achieve flight. He had to detach himself from all worldly possessions, and he found inner peace. If Asami is able to reconcile her relationship with her father and within herself, find peace, she will be one of the strongest allies we have.” 

“I’ll tell her she can come with us.” 

“Good.”

Korra raced back to her room, where Asami still sat. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Korra said, grabbing her friends’s hand. “I had to make sure I could drop this volcano on you.” 

Asami pulled her hand from Korra’s and crossed her arms. “What is it?” 

“I’m the Avatar.” 

Asami didn’t react so Korra repeated herself, slowly. 

“I’m...the Avatar.” 

Finally, Asami blinked. “Show me.” 

Korra looked around. There wasn’t much she could bend within the room besides water. And she wasn’t great at firebending yet, and you can’t see airbending. Earthbending it had to be. Now, there wasn’t any actual dirt, but then Korra’s eyes landed on Asami’s wheelchair. She hopped off her bed and knelt down, tapping the metal frame with her knuckles. She stood up. 

“Mind if I move you?” She waited for the slightest nod and scooped Asami up, depositing her unceremoniously onto her bed. Then she took a few exaggerated steps away from the wheelchair, extending her hand. She made sure to feel the metal, feel its imperfections, feel the space between the minerals and atoms. She crushed the entire wheelchair into a tiny metal block. Once she made sure that Asami was watching, she concentrated on re forming the wheelchair. It didn’t look exactly that same (the left wheel was mostly square rather than round, and the handles were bent not straight) but it was back in the (semi) form of a wheelchair. 

“And you already know that I waterbend.” 

Asami looked from her deformed wheelchair to Korra, back at her deformed wheelchair, to her wounds. 

“You saved me at the docks…” 

Korra nodded. “I flooded the dock by metalbending the wall inwards. I used bloodbending to keep you from bleeding out, and I used dust walking to run to the house.” 

“Bloodbending? Isn’t that illegal?” 

“I used it to save you. I don’t care if it’s illegal.” 

Asami’s eyes softened, her mouth parted ever so slightly. There was no fear in her eyes, she wasn’t thinking about running away or even yelling out. She did seem slightly hurt, though. 

“Would you have left for good without ever telling me this if I didn’t refuse to work with my father on my project?” 

Korra wished she had a different answer. She stared at her feet as she nodded her head. “I’m just glad Dad said I could tell you this.” She shrugged and then moved around the stationary-bound wheelchair to sit on the edge of her own bed. “I’m just glad you can come with us now.” She furrowed her brow. “You...do still want to come with me, right?” 

“I have to go think about this,” Asami said. Korra immediately stood up. 

“I’ll-I’ll go get you a new wheelchair. Take all the time you need.” She bolted out of the room, towing the non-funtional wheelchair behind her. 

Asami called a butler into Korra’s room as soon as the girl had come and gone with a new wheelchair. 

“Canan, would you please escort me to the library?” 

“Of course, Miss Sato.” 

She made a beeline for the newspaper articles of note in the bottom corner of the back wall and pulled out ones from the Southern Water Tribe, as well as the City, dated ten years back. It took a while, but she found the one article she knew she had been looking for. 

**_Avatar and Chief of Southern Water Tribe Dead_ **

The article contained a quick overview of the attack on the southern water tribe White Lotus compound, led by an extremist faction calling themselves the Red Lotus.

_ However, they too lost the Avatar Korra after Unalaq of the Northern water tribe and uncle of the Avatar made a valiant attempt of freeing his niece from their clutches. The Avatar’s father, Tonraq of the Southern Water Tribe, rescued his daughter before falling into the icy Southern Sea, where he and the Avatar were attacked and half eaten before washing up on shore days later.  _

Asami closed that paper and began reading the second. 

**_Spirit Portals Opened: Benevolent or Malevolent?_ **

_ While they had the Avatar in their clutches, the extremist group known as the Red Lotus opened Spirit Portals in both the Northern and Southern Water Tribes _ .  _ So far, there have not been any signs of spirits entering our world, although there are neither humans entering theirs: Chief Unalaq of the Water Tribes has declared that the Spirit Portals are sacred and only a select few will be allowed to legally enter the Spirit world through the Portals.  _

Asami sifted through more papers, searching for anything that has to do with the Red Lotus, as there were only news reports about fake Avatar sightings. Despite their act at the South Pole, the Red Lotus seemed to have disappeared off the face of the Nations. No whisperings of this secret cult, nothing about these amazing benders working together ever again, although there was a Fire Nation article from a couple of years back about a tall woman with a third eye freeing prisoners from captivity. She got away. 

Asami scrounged every article she could find but these people just disappeared. She could find nothing else out about them unless she went with Adria-no, Korra. She placed the last paper back on the shelves and stared at the wall. 

“Miss Sato?” 

Canan startled her out of her train of thought. 

“Oh, hm, yes?” 

“Do you want to read anything else?” 

She glanced around at the wall to wall library and shook her head. “No,” she frowned ever so slightly. “Take me to my father.” 

Hiroshi was bent over a set of plans, elbow on the table, hand holding his chin, the other holding a pencil, erasing and re writing formulas and details. 

“Miss Sato is here to see you, Mr. Sato,” Canan bowed ever so slightly and awaited further orders. Hiroshi didn’t seem to hear him, so Asami dismissed the butler and hap hazardly rolled herself towards her father. 

“What do you know about the Red Lotus?” 

“The equalists?” He said back. Startled, he covered the paper he had been working on. Asami went along with it. 

“Yes, the equalists. What do you know about them?” 

His shoulders relaxed and he rolled up the plans to turn to his daughter, giving her his full attention. “They just showed up a couple of months ago. As far as I can tell, they’re helping the non-benders of the city.” 

His plans unrolled behind him and Asami snuck a look. They were plans for an updated pulse glove, the same that the equalists had been using. She scooted her wheelchair closer and the wheel got stuck on a small crack in the floor. She put two and two together. 

“That’s what you’ve been doing all these years.” Contempt spilled out of her mouth as she looked around the shop, both trying not to look at him and find other incriminating articles. “Mom died and you did dive into your work. And when someone arrived that would be willing to use them violently, you didn’t even object!” 

“I wanted to kill that son of a-- I wanted to kill the murderer that took your mother’s life yet the police did nothing! And now Amon and his powers,” Hiroshi stopped and looked at his daughter. “I knew I couldn’t become a murderer or I would lose you forever. So when Amon came ot me and said he can take away bending, that sounded like a fine form of justice to me. Yes, I’m working with him. But we are working to make this world a better and safer place because the police and government here do absolutely  _ nothing  _ to help us.” 

Asami stared at her father with shock. Not because of what he was saying, but because she felt herself agreeing with him. She opened her mouth but words didn’t come out until she closed her eyes and shook her head, gathering her thoughts. 

“I am leaving with Adria and I don’t know if I’ll be back.” 

Hiroshi extended his hand but Asami batted it away. He looked at his daughter through his glasses. “Asami….” 

“I need time to think this over. Respect that.” 

He, instead of saying whatever was on his tongue, took a short breath and nodded. 

“Canan!” Asami yelled. He was there in a flash. 

“Yes, Miss Sato?” 

“Please take me to my room and help me gather my things.” 

“As you wish, Miss Sato.” 

Once again, Hiroshi saw his daughter pushed out of his life by his own actions. 

Korra looked up from her book and immediately closed it, seeing it was Asami coming into the room. She stood up, then wasn’t sure why she stood up, but stayed standing uncomfortably because it felt rude to just plop back down. “So?” 

“I would like to come with you.” 

Korra beamed. 

Zaheer started up the Satomobil while Asami hobbled into the back seat. She handed her crutch off to Korra, who placed it in the trunk before joining Asami. They sped off, going through the mountains, keeping to the dirt paths. They wound up at a decrepit but still function earth kingdom down just past the last mountain in the range. They sold the Satomobil and bought three ostrich horses with the money. Even though it was dark, they kept going, thankful that the darkness of night would hide their presence. Korra was able to ditch her leg about two hours after leaving the town when they stopped for dinner. Asami watched, fascinated, as Korra stood on her one leg and gathered the dirt from the ground to create her second one, this one actually shaped like a calf and foot, rather than a peg leg. 

“Now that we are away from the City, I can heal you much quicker,” Korra said, sitting back down, taking the bowl of noodles Zaheer offered her. She took a bit and stopped mid-chew with a thought, swallowed, and made sure she had Asami’s attention. “And my real name is Korra.” 

“I already knew that.” Asami answered, taking a drink of water. Korra glanced at Zaheer, who even raised an eyebrow. 

“You did?” 

“I wouldn’t have come with you if I didn’t do some research first!” 

“Then what’s my name?” Zaheer asked, already packing away his dinner bowl. 

“I didn’t find your name. But I know who you belong to. The Red Lotus.” 

“Yes, I am apart of the Red Lotus. What do you know about us?” 

“Not enough.” 

Zaheer sized her up. “My name is Zaheer. And you might just fit in after all.” He took her empty bowl, washed it out, and put it away, then offered her his hand. She took it. Korra finished eating and they mounted their ostrich horses, riding until midnight when they reached their destination: the driest patch of a canyon ever. They descended into the canyonside, though about half they had to ditch their ostrich horses as the ledges got skinnier and skinnier. Thirty minutes later, rumbling shook the rocks. Indiana Jones style, a boulder began to run down the slope, directly towards the trio. If not for Korra’s earthbending (tossing the boulder to the bottom of the canyon) they would have been pancakes. 

Two seconds later, another boulder came flying at them. Again, Korra knocked it to the side. They waited a minute before moving. No other boulder came, but a wall of Lava did. 

“Ghazan!” Korra yelled, simultaneously planting her feet and thrusting her arms out at the wall of molten rock. It solidified, but now Korra was sweaty and annoyed, so she walked up to the hardened rock and punched it, fragmenting it into a thousand different shards, impaling the canyon walls on both sides. 

“Korra!” Zaheer yelled. She whirled around to see him pointing at the surrounding spikes, which definitely didn’t look natural. “Don’t leave a trail.” 

She nodded, the heat dying from her eyes, and raised her arms before ripping them down to her hips. The shards immediately disintegrated, dust falling on top of their heads. At the top of the next walkable shelf, Ghazan clapped. 

“Not bad,” he clapped. “Not bad.” 

Korra took a moment to calm and center herself, get her mind back aligned with training, not leisure as it had been the past several weeks. She felt Asami place her hand on her shoulder. 

“I’m fine,” she snapped. “I just have to get my head in the game.”

“Ok,” Asami said, removing her hand. “Let’s get going.”

Korra now trailed last in the group, not wanting to see Zaheer’s disappointment. However, things brightened up once she entered the dark cave. There was no fancy Red Lotus symbol carved into the ground, no area for meditation, no library. It didn’t feel like much, just a place to sleep and eat, but that would do. 

Nearly everyone that had already been there, was there, save half a dozen people on lookout. Ming-Hua, Ghazan, and P’li were already there. P’li came over and hugged Korra first, then stepped back and saw Asami on her crutch. 

“And who is this?” 

Korra stepped to the side. “This is Asami. Asami, this is P’li. Over there is Ghazan and Ming-Hua. And that’s Beren, Kired, Dogma,” she began listing off as many of the other Red lotus member’s names as she could remember. They all smiled and waved, though Ghazan and Ming-Hua came over to personally greet Asami, who let her bewilderment of the entirety of the operation no one else in the world knew about, that she was standing in the middle of. 

“It’s nice to meet all of you,” she said, feeling so very small and crippled among these powerful and potentially ruthless people. She felt very grateful when Korra grabbed her arm and steered her towards...a solid wall? She watched Korra plant her feet and punch the rock, instantly pushing a door sized piece of rock forward. She stepped into the ‘doorway’ and proceeded to hollow out a twenty square foot room for the two of them. She went around the corners of the room, placing her fingertip to the rock and forming a cubbyhole, which she then filled with Lava, which gave off an eerie glow, but it was preferable to the solid darkness. Asami entered in amazement. Korra put her hands on her hips and surveyed her work. 

“That’s amazing,” Asami breathed out. 

“Oh, just you wait.” Korra hadn’t realized how suppressed she felt, not being able to use her powers on the Island or in the city. “Tomorrow’s going to be even better.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that I can't stand reading line by line dialogue so I'm sorry for making yall read it too. More action (and full paragraphs) coming right up!


	18. Mortal Peril Is No Match Against A Determined Spirit (Pt. 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zaheer attempts to further his own plans while stopping others from furthering their own plans. Korra begins her tests to see whether or not she is ready to learn firebending.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A two-parter, guys! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter (though in my usual fashion it is drawn out probably further than it *had* to be) I hope y'all enjoy it!

“Why did you allow her to bring someone, Zaheer?” Ming-Hua asked in her raspy voice. 

“I get that she was trained as a Kyoshi warrior and can fight--” Ghazan began. Zaheer interrupted. 

“Excuse me, Ghazan, but Korra is getting too strong for her own good and we need leverage against her.” 

“If we can use Asami against her, that means anyone else can.” Ming-Hua smacked her lips distastefully. “She’s the daughter of one of the most famous men in Republic city, what is she’s taken by some thug looking to blackmail Sato? Then what, we have Korra rushing off to save her girlfriend.” 

“Does she believe in our cause?” P’li asked after a brief moment of quiet between the four leaders of the Red Lotus. 

“She doesn’t know our full cause yet,” Zaheer answered. 

“Does Korra even know?” 

Zaheer shook his head. “Not yet, she’s still too young.” 

“She isn’t like the 13-year-old you were, Zaheer,” Ghazan quipped, crossing his arms. “She isn’t like any 13 year old. She’s about to go toe to toe with all of us and now that she has someone to impress, she won’t hold back. Even I’m slightly intimidated by her lavabending powers and she hasn’t even begun firebending, which I know will enhance her strength with it.” 

In the back of Zaheer’s mind, he remembered Korra mentioning something about Dust stepping and Kyoshi herself teaching her the technique, then decided against telling Ghazan, he wanted to see the surprise on his face. But he was thinking of two very important decisions he knew would have to be put to a vote. 

“There are many things to be worked out, but at the moment, these two are the most pressing.” They gave him their undivided attention. “Once Asami is fully healed, she will begin training with the other non-bender Lotus members, continuing to show Korra the Warrior’s fighting techniques, then slowly begin training with Korra against benders. We will be able to see if and how well they work as a team.” 

Ghazan nodded. 

“Sounds reasonable,” Ming-Hua commented. 

Zaheer turned to P’li, who nodded. He continued. “Second, we decide what to do with Noatak and Unalaq.” 

“What about them?” Ming-Hua asked. She was closer to them as they were both waterbenders and although she felt no allegiance to northern or southern tribes, if they were a waterbender they were either a friend or foe. Most of the time, they were the latter, so she had to pay attention to any Tribe name. 

“Unalaq is planning on turning on us on the day of Harmonic Convergence. I believe he wants to fuse with Vaatu himself.” 

“How did you learn this?” P’li asked. 

“I was in the spirit world and overheard him talking with the Chaos Spirit.” 

“He knows our plans-” Ghazan mumbled. 

“This is why I stayed in Republic city and truly allowed Noatak to go under the alias of Amon: he’s taking people’s bending away, with Bloodbending,” Zaheer kinda motioned towards Ming-Hua, who immediately perked up. “Korra was taught how to harness this power, though she will have to assist him when the time comes.” 

“Assist him in what?” P’li looked over her shoulder at the wall where Korra and Asami slept. 

“He’s going to go after world leaders and take away their bending, one by one.” 

“So he’ll eventually go after Unalaq…” Ghazan nodded, twiddling his thumbs. 

“And we won’t be attached to it,” Zaheer finished. 

The four sat around the dwindling fire, mulling over the newest discoveries, finalizing the plan for Korra’s test in the morning. Zaheer and P’li went off by themselves, walking down closer to the canyon floor both in preparation of the tests but also to talk. 

“You’re a great strategist, Zaheer,” P’li began. He nodded, suspicious of her next words. “There’s another reason you wanted Korra to learn the bloodbending trick.” 

He took both her hands and stopped walking. “There are several,” 

“You wanted to see if she could give powers, not just take them away.” 

He looked away, ashamed. P’li slipped her hand from his and placed it on his chin, bringing his gaze back to her. 

“I’m guessing it wasn’t the news you wanted.” 

“I couldn’t find the time to test my theory. And I can’t do it here.”  _ Because no one else knows _ .

P’li nodded. “What are you going to do about it?” 

His shoulders heaved with a heavy sigh. “Adapt and overcome.” 

“As usual,” P’li smiled. 

“As usual.” 

Korra’s eyes fluttered open before remembering where she was. Bolting up, she scanned the otherwise empty room. Asami’s bed was there but no one to occupy it. She had dreaded the thought but now it came to pass: they were using Asami against her. 

“Ok, alright, I can do this, I can do this.” She swiftly made an earthen leg, grabbed a papaya to eat from her sack, and stepped into the main section of the underground base. She would have rather found it to be empty, but everyone was going about their daily business and that made them all possible attackers. As nonchalantly as she could, Korra began walking towards the exit, stuffing her face with papaya. She made it to the entrance without being stopped. However, as soon as she exited the compound, a solid platinum door slammed against the ground, sending rocks clattering down to the bottom of the canyon. She peered over the edge: straight down one thousand feet were torches to illuminate the testing zone. Summoning her courage and some earth, she took a running start and jumped off the edge of the cliff, reaching out her hands to force dust into makeshift ropes to help her slow her descent. Her feet landed on the ground with an echoing  **thud** . The fires cast shadows around the sheltered arena, hiding the Lotus members anywhere in the canyon’s cracks, corners, and gullies. 

Zaheer stepped onto a stalagmite, allowing not only Korra but those hidden to see and hear him. “There will be three tests in all. This first one is a test of the Avatar’s waterbending skills. She is only permitted to use waterbending in this test. Her objective is to rescue her friend and heal her before time runs out.” 

“How much time do I have?” She asked. 

“Half an hour. Beginning...now.” He stepped back into the shadow and Korra realized there was no water to be seen or heard around her. Yet, Ming-Hua already had her watery tentacle arms and the other benders wielded their elements. 

_ Water, water, water, _ she thought. Her attackers were drawing near and from all sides. She crouched down, touched her fingertips to the ground, and closed her eyes. Deep beneath she felt water, but she could not reach it with half a dozen people trying to kill her. Still crouched, she heard the water running through their veins, their muscles constricting as they wind up, ready to strike. She struck first, psychically taking control of their blood and tossing them into the canyon walls around her. Up above, she had also felt tiny, tiny plants. She drained them, gathering enough water to form ice picks onto her hands.

Ming-Hua had been the first to recover, towering over Korra, using two of her six tentacle arms to support her. The sight only gave Korra hope: more water. She waited until the Kraken got within ten feet and then dove forward, turning her right ice pick into a water whip, which joined with one of Ming-Hua’s arms. She tore it off and flicked the whip, its tail snapping right onto Ming-Hua’s neck. The woman growled and forced water into the ground, turning it into mud, freezing it around Korra’s legs. A moment of panic until the Avatar tilted backwards as if going into a handspring and pulled her legs out of the ice-mud by sheer force, shattering the watery ground into a thousand pieces, one of which created a cut on Ming-Hua’s face. 

The rest of the Red Lotus members regained consciousness and began gaining higher ground. Firebenders had perhaps the best advantage, for every time Korra had to block with waterbending, it evaporated a portion of the liquid. Although wishing desperately she could use her earthbending, Korra followed the rules and continued evading, using only her tiny amount of ice and water to stop her attackers. She lept eight feet to the next level and froze an earthbender to the canyon wall. 

Five to go. 

She leaped down, tucking her arms and legs in as she hit the ground and rolled. Another earthbender named Elijas got the best of her, stopping her momentum with a rock wall he pulled from the canyon floor. Dazed, Korra felt the ground shake where he began to manipulate the rock beneath her, bout to swallow her body whole. She jumped on top of the wall and braced for it to shoot her into the sky. It did, and she turned her ice pick and water whip into one cyclone that turned to a needlepoint. Connecting with the ground, it split the earth wide open, deep enough to find bedrock where water was trapped. Korra drove her thoughts deeper and deeper into the earth, urging the water still running beneath her feet to rise up. And rise up it did. 

A geyser broke through the earth, dousing everything and everyone nearby with freezing cold water. Korra grinned and pulled the water into her arms, extending them by twenty feet. She grabbed Elijas by the ankle, tossed him around like a rag doll, then slammed him into the ground, knocking him out, and freezing him there. 

Four were left chasing her, but as she neared Asami, she realized there were well more than a dozen Lotus members hiding. Sixteen left. 

Although she had taken as much water as she could in that small interval, there was plenty left under the canyon floor, and the waterbenders she faced realized and took advantage of that; Ming-Hua’s arms grew twice their size and the other four waterbenders on the second tier of the canyon began to team up, creating a prison of ice around Korra. There was a firebender close to her. Korra engaged her, dodging the flames, allowing the icy cage around her to weaken. She finished off the firebender by freezing her head in a block of ice and kicking her towards the strongest wall of the cage. The woman went down, but Korra still froze her body to the canyon wall. With her free hand, she broke out of the prison, turning the shards of ice back into water, raising her arms above her head, rotating clockwise, forming a miniature hurricane around her legs, raising her to where the waterbenders stationed themselves. Two of them jumped down from their ledges. Korra sent two tendrils lashing out from her hurricane, wrapping around the men like snakes constricting their prey, before reeling them into the pillar. They froze into blocks of ice and were spat out like chunks of bone, clattering onto the canyon floor. 

The other two waterbenders created their own whirlpools to match Korra’s, but as she looked at Asami, her waterbending power doubled. But that power came with a challenge: even as the two waterbenders circled around their prey, two firebenders rose up and landed on either side of the canyon. Ming-Hua completed the inner circle: only two of the benders, Ghazan and P’li, stood protecting Asami. 

Fourteen against one. 

The inner circle, minus Ming-Hua, attacked together, two waterbenders and two firebenders. Together, they shot steaming tendrils of water at Korra. She knew they wanted her to re direct it at them, so they could do the same but join the waves and overcome her with pure strength. She immediately froze the water beneath her so she was still and extended her arms. The steaming water hit her psychic barrier and shattered as if it were glass. Baffled, the four benders lost their momentum giving Korra the window she needed, which was the same Ming-Hua needed. The dark haired woman reared back and threw her tentacles together, forming them into a drill that cracked Korra’s ice support pillar as it burrowed deeper and deeper until it pierced the other side. Then she pulled her arms back and the tower broke. 

Korra felt the tower crumble underneath her, so she gathered boiling water-just a handful-and lept towards Ming-Hua. She was deftly tossed aside, wrapped in a watery vice, but that small amount of burning water left her hand and landed right on Ming-Hua’s eyes. She howled in pain, tightening her grip on Korra, who then placed her hands on the foot-thick arm and concentrated on freezing it. The ice shattered with her grip and she fell to the bottom of the canyon on her side. Pain pulsed from her right rib but she could only concentrate on getting Ming-Hua and her fury out of the picture. She extended her left hand, gathering more of the steaming water and took the long way round, attacking the woman from the rear. The tendril smacked Ming-Hua on the neck and enveloped not only her neck but her entire upper torso. When it reached the edges of her shoulder blades, Korra crushed her fist, turning not only her water to ice but Ming-Hua’s arms as well. Her opponent wasn’t beaten yet; as her anger swelled, steam rose from the ice. Ten arms broke from the blocks. 

With Ming-Hua’s untimely interruption, the two waterbenders and firebenders were still in play, and the second wave still lurking in their shadows: time was running out. 

“Fine,” Korra grit her teeth and pushed stray strands of hair out of her eyes. She scanned the battlefield. Fourteen opponents left, excluding Ghazan and P’li, who continuously stepped closer to Asami. The waterbenders were the ones getting in her way; they knew all her tricks. All except….

Korra dove out of a firebender’s pot shot and encased herself in a watery dome. She sat criss crossed, placed her fists together at her abdomen, and exhaled slowly. She felt for the blood within all her attackers, felt some of their hearts racing with excitement, some were completely calm. Those that were calm, she locked onto and pinpointed the bloodflow to their brains. Nine of the fourteen suddenly collapsed. As the others (Ming-Hua and one other waterbender, two earthbenders, and one firebender) lost their concentration and slowed their bombardment of Korra’s dome, she burst from it, tackling the closest person. The firebender was useless with their arms, legs and neck encased in ice. 

Ming-Hua slipped away from the crowd and joined Ghazan and P’li at the finish line. Three left.

Korra flipped, sidestepped, and jumped out of the way of the waterbender and earthbenders. Teamed up, they nearly got her, but she sliced through the muddy wall with an ice blade and kicked the wall back towards her opponents, encasing all of them in mud and freezing it. For good measure, she went and roundhouse kicked all three of them so they were sure to not get out of their defeat. 

She backtracked to gather more than enough water from her geyser before approaching the final section of the test. 

P’li stood with her slender hand on Asami’s shoulder. Ming-Hua slunk away towards a crevice in the canyon wall. Korra sauntered slowly forward then stopped as Ghazan knelt down.She mirrored him; as he placed his hand on the ground, she did as well. A grin spread across his face until he realized he couldn’t peel away from the ground. Korra smirked back and hand sprung backward, pulling up the ice from underneath the ground. Rock and ice rocketed into the air. She 360 spun, sharpening the ice shards. With a kick of her feet, she sent a geyser of her own into Ghazan’s face, knocking him backward. She sent the ice shards like daggers around his body, pinning him in place as one iceberg fell onto his face. 

P’li huffed and sent a missile straight towards Korra, who didn’t jump out of the way fast enough and got her earthen leg blown off. 

“Korra!” Asami screamed, muffled by the gag. 

Korra planted both hands on the ground and shook her head, getting her bearings. She had no coherent thoughts, only a feeling of need. A need to finish this. She flipped herself onto her back and sat up. She stared at P’li, stared at that third eye, and lowered her hand. P’li began rigid, as her blood was no longer in her control. Korra forced her maternal figure to her knees before throwing her full force at the wall. P’li did not get up. 

Korra knew Ming-Hua was lurking around the shadows somewhere. She used a tiny bit of water to make an ice pick leg and slowly...slowly approached the platform, just stepped onto the ledge when a watery tendril grabbed her ankle and pulled her backward, tossing her back across half a mile of the canyon to the start of the testing area.  _ Crack!  _ Another rib broken. Ming Hua ran on watery arms, looking like an arachnid coming to feast on its dinner. Korra raised her arms weakly to cover her face. Twenty five minutes of non stop fighting takes a toll. Her head screaming just as loud as her chest, Korra was ready to let Ming-Hua win. But then she looked up, her eyes finally coming back into focus (slightly) and she saw Zaheer looking on, arms folded in front of his chest, face unreadable. Fear set in, flushing her body with adrenaline, something she knew should never happen. She had to get herself back under control. She looked past Ming-Hua and saw Asami, a tiny spec in the distance. Her heart calmed a bit, remembering she was going to rescue her. 

Two arms descended onto Korra’s chest and began to freeze over, immobilizing everything but Korra’s ice pick leg. She waited another second as Ming-Hua got closer, then kicked with all her might, sending the leg straight into Ming-Hua’s face. One-hit KO. 

Korra gathered water for a new leg and sprinted to Asami before anyone woke up or broke free. She reached Asami and removed her bonds, sliding the gag off last. 

Asami looked past Korra’s shoulder to the carnage littering the canyon, her gaze shuddering as she locked onto Korra’s face. 

“That’s….” 

“I still have to heal you,” Korra picked Asami up off the chair and laid her on the ground. She waved her hand and collected a buckets’ worth of water and waited until it glowed with the familiar bright blue hue and placed her hands on Asami’s foot. 

“What did you do when they all collapsed?” 

“Bloodbending. I only made them faint.”  _ I think. I hope _ . She pulled her healing hands away. “How’s the leg?” 

Asami stretched her foot, rolling it in a circle. “Fixed.” 

Korra stood up, pulling Asami up after. She was about to call out to Zaheer, but he was already behind her, hands now clasped behind his back. Around her, some of the Lotus members either awoke or freed themselves (or both). 

“It seems your time with the Kyoshi warriors had no negative effects on you,” Zaheer said. “We’ll have to wait for Ming-Hua’s commentary; if she says you are still in top shape, you may proceed with your earthbending test. But,” he looked around. The three strongest benders in the Lotus circle were all out cold. “I think you’ll pass.” He turned to Asami. “What do you think of Korra’s abilities?” 

Asami looked around her once more. Korra tried her best to keep a straight face, but with two broken ribs and probably many more ailments, pain shot through her with every breath. 

“If this is just her fighting with one element, I can’t wait to see what she can do with them all. Though next time I would prefer to not be taken as a hostage.” She leveled her eyes with Zaheer, who shrugged. 

“Once Korra is revealed to be the Avatar still, anyone close to her will become a target. And since you’ve decided to stay with us, you may have to get used to that.” His expression changed from emotionless to calculating. “I think we can teach each other a thing or two.” 

“Bloodbending should be considered cheating,” Ghazan said, holding a piece of ice to his broken nose. He wasn’t talking about himself, of course, but P’li, who had a nasty bump on her head and wouldn’t be able to firebend until she could see straight or else she could just blow her head up instead of her target’s, and all of the benders recovering from Korra’s fainting trick. 

“Katara did make it illegal,” Zaheer said, staring into the fire ahead of him, P’li resting her head on his shoulder. 

“She’s gotten strong,” Ming-Hua croaked out. “Unfortunately, that credit does go to Noatak.” 

“But she is ready to proceed to earthbending?” Zaheer asked her. 

“Yes.” Ming-Hua answered. She then turned to Ghazan with an amused smile on her lips. “She’s your problem now.” 

Korra and Asami sat with their own little fire, turning their heads every so often to catch a glimpse of the heads of the Red Lotus talking about their fate. 

“Were you scared?” Korra asked the purposefully open ended question. 

“I’d be lying if I said no,” Asami confessed. She could finally walk without a crutch, which was freeing, but her arm still had a long way till it was 100%; Korra’s healing ability wasn’t as top-notch as her bloodbending. Korra said nothing, prompting Asami to fill the silence. “Watching you take out those people, it was both amazing and horrifying. And that’s not even with you in the Avatar state.” She made sure Korra was looking at her. “Were you fighting that hard to get to me, or to finish the task?” 

Korra saw the way the shadows danged across Asami’s face, the flames that were captured in her eyes. The truth was too harsh to put into words. “I was fighting to get to you.” Not exactly the truth, but it wasn’t a complete lie either. Asami searched Korra’s face but the girl was so hard to read. Korra placed her hand on Asami’s. They both smiled sadly.

Korra flinched; her eyes peeled away from Asami as Zaheer got up for his seat and came over. Korra sat rim rod straight, forcing her heart to slow down. 

"Congratulations, Korra. In five days you will be tested on your earthbending skills. And this time, Asami," he turned towards the green eyed girl, "You will not be held hostage. If you would like to sit with me, you will be allowed to." He turned back to Korra and smiled. "Well done." 

He left, and Asami scooted back so she could observe Korra's side profile. The edges of Korra's lips turned up, a few crinkles appeared around her eyes. Then it all turned back to stone, and any warmth she had radiated was smothered. 

"I can't wait to see what's in store," she said, leaning forward to catch Korra's eye. 

"It's really starting," Korra said, her voice awfully dissonant. She stood up, only glancing at Asami. "Let's head to bed." 

P'li watched the girls enter the room Korra had made. "She's going to find out," she whispers into Zaheer's ear. 

"When the time is right."


End file.
